Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer has said that if the PM loses the meaningful vote, she should make a statement to the Commons "about what her plan B is".

He told Today that Labour was readying a vote of no confidence in the government, but declined to say exactly when, adding: "The timing will be down to Jeremy Corbyn but he has already indicated that it will be soon."

When asked about a further referendum, Sir Keir reiterated Labour wanted the vote to be followed by a general election, adding: "In the end it comes down really to: is there going to be a general election? Is there some form of deal that people can coalesce around or should there be a public vote or a second referendum?"

Pressed on his preference, he added: "We can't have no-deal and therefore we need to find a majority for something else.

"Our party conference set out the option of a public vote, a second referendum, and obviously that has got to be discussed."

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Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Environment Secretary Michael Gove, who campaigned for Leave during the referendum, is calling on his colleagues to back the PM's deal today - but has told the BBC the government will respect Parliament's decision.

“Of course we respect the vote of Parliament, but it’s also important that Parliament respects the vote in 2016," Mr Gove told the Today programme.

“We have the opportunity to deliver on that tonight.”

He added: “If people do not vote for the government this evening we face a no-deal Brexit…or worse, no Brexit at all.

"If we don't vote for this agreement, we risk playing into the hands of those who do not want Brexit to go ahead."

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Norman Smith
Assistant political editor

Image source, PA

All the signs are that Mrs May is heading towards a potentially devastating defeat.

Despite the warnings of no deal or no Brexit, there is no evidence of any last minute surge of support back to the Prime Minister.

Indeed it seems MPs are determined to inflict a decisive blow - with critics like the Labour MP Hilary Benn dropping possible amendments that might have minimised the scale of defeat.

Government sources, however, have described tonight simply as "the first stage" - a clear indication that Mrs May hopes to press on with some version of her deal.

Number 10 has dismissed newspaper reports that the prime minister could quit in the wake of a catastrophic loss.

The former cabinet minister Nicky Morgan was also dismissive of the idea, saying: "I cannot believe that any responsible government or former minister would want to put the people of this country through that."

Leading Brexiteers hope that a decisive defeat tonight could yet convince the EU to offer further concessions. The former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab said Brussels has played a game of "hard ball" and it always negotiates "up to the eleventh hour".

Downing Street says it is working on the assumption that Jeremy Corbyn will table a no confidence vote in the wake of any defeat.

Last night the Labour leader told his MPs he would table such a motion "soon". Less clear is, if that fails to trigger a general election, what comes next.

Laura Kuenssberg
BBC political editor

Forget what might happen when the tellers read out the numbers on Tuesday night, let's think about what's at stake.

With Brexit, it's nearly always subjective, but according to MPs and ministers of different flavours, these are some of the factors that matter and that the result might influence.

Disagree at will of course - you may read these and scoff, or you may even have your own.

But the meaningful vote may well end up having multiple meanings.

Continue reading Laura's blog here.

We asked some key figures in the Brexit debate to tell us what they think about the prime minister's deal, and how they're planning to vote tonight.

On the morning of the Brexit vote, most papers are not discussing the likely outcome - so much as the scale of defeat Theresa May faces in the Commons.

Both the Times , externaland the Daily Telegraph suggest the number could top the 166 recorded against the first Labour government of 1924; the worst defeat in any comparable vote.

Some of the prime minister's allies, quoted in the Financial Times, external, suggest she could lose by more than 200. The paper says there is a mood of "impending disaster" in Downing Street.

And its calculations are backed up by Guardian analysis.

Read more on today's newspaper headlines here.

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab - who quit his post in November - has told the BBC that Brexiteers like him could back a deal if aspects such as the backstop were dealt with.

He told Radio 4's Today programme: "I made clear when I resigned that there were three aspects that needed to be addressed.

"The backstop is clearly one of them and I want to see very clearly the Withdrawal Agreement linked to a best-in-class free trade agreement."

Mr Raab added that payments of the £39bn "divorce bill" should be negotiated or paid in tranches to the EU in exchange for a free trade deal, saying it was "common sense".

He added that, if those issues were solved, then "someone like me would say that actually we could vote for it".

Image source, EPA

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

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Labour's Hilary Benn has withdrawn his amendment - despite it having some cross-party support.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme: "It's now much clearer that there is a route to ruling out 'no deal' than we had back in December when I originally tabled the amendment."

He added: "It's pretty clear that this deal satisfies almost no one and so I think absolute clarity on why the House of Commons rejects the deal - as I expect it to do this evening - is I think very, very important as I think then it forces parliament and the government to ask the question: what are we going to do next?"

Read about all the possible amendments here.

MPs are due to vote on the PM's deal at 19:00 GMT - but they will also get a chance to reshape the deal by tabling amendments to it.

The amendments vary in their potential impact on the proposed deal. Some seek to make relatively small tweaks, others to scupper Mrs May's plan entirely.

Amendments are suggested by MPs and the most important ones, in the eyes of the Commons Speaker, John Bercow, are selected for voting on by all MPs. The votes will be just before the overall "meaningful" vote on the prime minister's deal.

You can read details of the possible amendments here.

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The PM will address her cabinet this morning, before the debate resumes at lunchtime.

MPs will be able to suggest amendments during the day that could reshape the deal.

The vote itself is expected to take place at around 19:00 GMT, with the result coming shortly after.

Jeremy Corbyn said Labour would call a no-confidence vote in the government if the deal is defeated in the Commons, with some suggesting that move could come within minutes of the likely defeat.

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Norman Smith
Assistant political editor

The prime minister addressed her backbench MPs on Monday evening in a final attempt to win support for her deal - which includes both the withdrawal agreement on the terms on which the UK leaves the EU and a political declaration for the future relationship.

Earlier in the Commons, she said: "It is not perfect but when the history books are written, people will look at the decision of this House and ask, 'Did we deliver on the country's vote to leave the EU, did we safeguard our economy, security or union or did we let the British people down?'"

Mrs May also tried to reassure MPs over the controversial Northern Irish "backstop" - the fallback plan to avoid any return to physical border checks between the country and Ireland.

She pointed to new written assurances from the EU that the contingency customs arrangement being proposed would be temporary and, if triggered, would last for "the shortest possible period".

Good morning and welcome to the BBC's politics live page - we'll bring you all the twists and turns ahead of this evening's so-called "meaningful vote" on Theresa May's deal for leaving the EU.

Mrs May has called for politicians to back her deal or risk "letting the British people down".

But with many of her own MPs expected to join opposition parties to vote against the deal, it is widely expected to be defeated.

MPs will also be able to suggest amendments that could reshape the deal before voting starts at around 19:00 GMT.

• Don't let British people down, May tells MPs
• Laura Kuenssberg: The multiple meanings of the vote
• Possible amendments to PM's Brexit deal