The Government will has said it will pull its own Meaningful Vote on the Brexit deal this afternoon if the Speaker selects any amendments which would render it non-binding.
The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman confirmed that if the John Bercow selected a tabled SNP amendment to the motion this afternoon they would withdraw it.
He said “The meaningful vote will go ahead if the Speaker allows it and if no amendments are selected which would render the vote pointless.
“There is no point having a meaningless vote, the Government would pull the motion”.
Mr Johnson is keen to avoid a repeat of Saturday where MPs backed an amendment withholding approval of Mr Johnson’s Brexit deal until legislation to implement it was in place.
However there are no guarantees that Mr Bercow will select the motion.
The speaker will rule this afternoon on if Mr Johnson can bring his motion for a second time.
(Image: UK PARLIAMENT/AFP via Getty Images)
If the Speaker blocks the move, focus will switch to the Government bringing its Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB) before MPs on Monday, with a vote on its second reading on Tuesday.
Labour’s Jon Ashworth has said he does not believe that the government resubmitting its motion is within Parliamentary rules – which say MPs can not debate an issue they’ve already given a verdict on.
“That debate on the Queen’s Speech has been abandoned, as far as we understand it, and the Government are trying to bring back a vote which was dealt with in the House of Commons on Saturday,” Mr Ashworth told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“I don’t understand how that is in the rules of the House of Commons, given on Saturday we amended that motion and that motion passed the House of Commons.”
The SNP have tabled an amendment which calls on the Mr Johnson to secure a delay until Jan 2020 so that a general election can be held.
