Government may 'fast track' Article 50 votepublished at 09:03 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016
Norman Smith
Assistant political editor
Ministers say the government may fast track any Commons vote on Article 50 to avoid introducing a government bill.
It's feared introducing a bill could significantly delay Mrs May's timetable and allow opposition MPs to table numerous critical amendments.
Instead it is suggested the government could consult parliament by a vote on "a resolution" which could be completed in a single day.
It would also give opponents less scope to table amendments.
The government is unlikely to finalise its position until after the Supreme Court ruling in January.
This morning the Work and Pensions Secretary Damian Green said the parliamentary process for triggering Article 50 "has not been confirmed."
Last week the Brexit Secretary David Davis suggested an act of parliament would be necessary.
Any attempt to avoid legislation could well provoke a further legal challenge.
It is also likely to infuriate campaigners against Brexit who say the High Court backed their case that legislation was needed.
Ministers however point out that the High Court in its judgement last week - did not explicitly say there had to be legislation to trigger Article 50.