Summary

  • Brexit delay bill passes the House of Commons

  • It would force Boris Johnson to ask EU for delay to Brexit to prevent no deal

  • PM says there must now be a general election

  • But his bid to hold one on 15 October fails due to lack of opposition support

  • Earlier, chancellor set out spending plans for coming year

  1. Match the headline with the newspaperpublished at 07:14 British Summer Time 4 September 2019

    Brexit dominates the papers - with some headlines more catchy than others. Can you work out which newspapers have the following headlines?

    • "Now the MPs take control"
    • "Johnson loses control"
    • "Johnson demands election"
    • "Boris loses control"
    • "Now you decide, Britain"
    • "Humilation for Johnson as Tory rebels turn against him"
    • "Over to you, Britain"
    • "Johnson's Brexit strategy in ruins as anti-no deal MPs inflict defeat"
    • "Parliament surrenders to the EU"
    • "PM loses historic vote"
    • And finally (unrelated to Brexit....) "WOR!"

    Here are the answers.

  2. 'Welcome to the world of parliamentary democracy'published at 07:08 British Summer Time 4 September 2019

    Today Programme
    BBC Radio 4

    Labour MP Hilary Benn - who has published the Brexit delay bill - said the "cross-party coalition of MPs" that secured control over the Commons last night proved that most members of Parliament recognised "the damage that will be done to our economy and our country by a no-deal Brexit".

    "Welcome to the world of parliamentary democracy, prime minister," he said.

  3. The Rees-Mogg reclinepublished at 06:57 British Summer Time 4 September 2019

    Images of Jacob Rees-Mogg enjoying a somewhat horizontal view of last night's lengthy debate have given social media jokers ammunition to poke fun at the Conservative MP.

    The leader of the House of Commons' comfy position was chastised by MPs who accused him of being contemptuous.

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    Media caption,

    Jacob Rees-Mogg told to 'sit up man!'

  4. Who were the Tory rebels?published at 06:49 British Summer Time 4 September 2019

    Rory StewartImage source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    Former international development secretary Rory Stewart has warned of the economic impact of a no-deal Brexit

    Several senior Conservative MPs rebelled against the government over a backbench plan to effectively block the UK leaving the EU on 31 October without a deal.

    In all, 21 Tories backed the motion. A Downing Street spokesperson said the MPs would have the Tory whip removed.

    The rebels were:

    • Philip Hammond
    • David Gauke
    • Dominic Grieve
    • Ken Clarke
    • Sir Oliver Letwin
    • Justine Greening
    • Rory Stewart
    • Greg Clark
    • Sam Gyimah
    • Antoinette Sandbach
    • Alistair Burt
    • Stephen Hammond
    • Sir Nicholas Soames
    • Margot James
    • Richard Harrington
    • Guto Bebb
    • Caroline Nokes
    • Ed Vaizey
    • Steve Brine
    • Anne Milton
    • Richard Benyon
  5. Recap: What actually happened on Tuesday?published at 06:39 British Summer Time 4 September 2019

    To summarise...

    1) PM suffered a huge Brexit blow - MPs hoping to prevent the UK leaving the EU without a deal on 31 October have taken control of House of Commons business. This means they can introduce a bill that would force Boris Johnson to ask to delay Brexit until at least 31 January 2020, rather than take the country out without a deal.

    2) The government lost its working majority - Within moments of Mr Johnson beginning to speak in the Commons, ex-justice minister Phillip Lee crossed the floor to join the Liberal Democrats. In doing so, the government's paper-thin majority became non-existent.

    3) Ex-chancellor lets rip - Philip Hammond gave a passionate promise to start "the fight of a lifetime" if he was deselected as a result of defying the Tory Party whip in the crucial vote

    4) Courtroom revelations - Scotland's highest civil court was told Mr Johnson appeared to have approved the controversial plan to prorogue Parliament two weeks before publicly announcing it

    5) More Tories call it quits - several Conservative MPs announced they would step down at the next general election - however soon it may be - including Justine Greening, Keith Simpson and Alistair Burt.

    Read more here.

  6. Meanwhile in Scotland...published at 06:30 British Summer Time 4 September 2019

    Today's action isn't just confined to Westminster.

    In Edinburgh, a judge is due to rule on whether the prime minister's planned suspension of Parliament is legal.

    A cross-party group of parliamentarians headed by SNP MP Joanna Cherry and Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson wants Scotland's highest civil court to rule that Boris Johnson has acted illegally and unconstitutionally by proroguing Parliament ahead of the UK leaving the EU.

    The ruling is expected at 10:00 BST.

    If you're new to all this and haven't heard the word prorogation before, here's a handy bit of background.

  7. Another dramatic day aheadpublished at 06:24 British Summer Time 4 September 2019

    House of CommonsImage source, UK Parliament

    Good morning. We are up and running again to help you keep across all the Brexit-related updates and developments you could ever want.

    The focus of today will be MPs voting on the Brexit delay bill that would force the prime minister to ask for the UK's departure from the EU to be put off until 31 January, unless MPs approve a new deal, or vote in favour of a no-deal exit, by 19 October.

    Boris Johnson is expected to hold cabinet meetings this morning before facing the Commons in his first prime minister's questions at midday.

    Chancellor Sajid Javid will also reveal the government's spending plans for 2020/21.

    And then there'll be a vote on the Brexit delay bill brought by opposition and rebel Tory MPs. If the bill passes, there will be a vote on whether to hold an early general election.

  8. So what happens next?published at 01:32 British Summer Time 4 September 2019

    Flowcharts

    It has been a momentous few 24 hours in Parliament, but what happens next?

    MPs are going to try to pass a new law to stop a no-deal Brexit, which will be debated and voted on in the House of Commons today.

    It could move to the House of Lords tomorrow.

    If passed, the bill could be given royal assent by the Queen and become law on Monday 9 September.

    Before all that, the first bit of business in the Commons today will be a moment of history - as Boris Johnson steps up to the despatch box for his first prime minister's questions.

    All the events will be covered live on the BBC News website, the BBC News Channel and BBC Radio 5 Live.

    Read more about what happens next

    What happens after Brexit?

    Brexit officially happened on 31 January but the UK is now in a transition period until the end of 2020.

    Read More
  9. 'Over to you Britain'published at 01:27 British Summer Time 4 September 2019

    The Sun, Daily Mail and Daily Express all focus their front pages on Boris Johnson's announcement that he will bring forward a motion for an early general election.

    Front page of the Sun
    Front page of the Daily Mail
    Front page of the Daily Telegraph
  10. 'Parliament surrenders to the EU'published at 01:19 British Summer Time 4 September 2019

    The Daily Express laments the result of the Commons vote with the headline: "Parliament surrenders to the EU".

    Front page of the Daily Express
  11. Johnson's 'humiliation'published at 01:04 British Summer Time 4 September 2019

    The Times and Guardian both call the result of the Commons vote a "humiliation" in the stories on their front pages. Meanwhile, the Financial Times says the prime minister's Brexit policy is "facing ruin".

    Front page of the Guardian
    Front page of the Times
    Front page of the Financial Times
  12. Five things we learned on Tuesdaypublished at 00:51 British Summer Time 4 September 2019

    Pro-EU demonstrators outside the Court of Session in EdinburghImage source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    Pro-EU demonstrators gathered outside the Court of Session in Edinburgh

    Well, that was an extraordinary day in Westminster.

    We've just about recovered enough to give you a summary of the key events. Here's what you need to know.

    Brexit's big week: Five things we learned on Tuesday

    After a huge day in Westminster jam-packed with Brexit news, here's what you need to know.

    Read More
  13. Boris 'loses control' on the front pagespublished at 00:40 British Summer Time 4 September 2019

    The first of the newspaper front pages are in.

    Control (and Boris Johnson's loss of it) is the key word linking the headlines of the Daily Mirror, the i and Metro.

    Front page of the Daily Mirror
    The front page of the i
    Front page of the Metro
  14. Politics is upside down - and a risky businesspublished at 00:24 British Summer Time 4 September 2019

    Laura Kuenssberg
    BBC political editor

    Boris Johnson speaking outside Downing StreetImage source, PA Media

    It's hard to know where to start sometimes.

    The pace and gravity of events in Westminster this week is both monumental and dizzying.

    A prime minister has lost his wafer of a majority.

    But some close to the prime minister believe that from this crisis comes an opportunity - to close the unfinished business of the referendum result in 2016, with the Tory party at last being the bearers of a crystal-clear message on Brexit.

    It's a measure of how upside down the political norms are - that the prime minister losing his first vote in office is considered by some of his allies as a benefit.

    Read Laura Kuenssberg's analysis in full.

    Politics is upside down - and a risky business

    Boris Johnson has lost his first vote as prime minister but in the long-term will that benefit or harm him?

    Read More
  15. David Gauke responds to sackingpublished at 00:23 British Summer Time 4 September 2019

    Former justice secretary tweets:

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  16. What did Theresa May think?published at 00:15 British Summer Time 4 September 2019

    Newsnight's political editor tweets:

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  17. Ed Vaizey sees the funny sidepublished at 00:06 British Summer Time 4 September 2019

    MP tweets:

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  18. David Gauke's whip withdrawnpublished at 00:02 British Summer Time 4 September 2019

    Former Justice Secretary David Gauke confirms he has had the whip withdrawn after he rebelled against the government's Brexit position.

    He says in a tweet his support for the night's motion was "probably not a good career move but the right choice".

    He reveals he met Boris Johnson earlier in the day and was "unconvinced that he had a plan to reach a deal on Brexit".

    "No proposal has been submitted to the EU. We were told that if it had been submitted, the EU would have dismissed it. But that talks were ‘going well’."

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  19. Theresa May leaves the Houses of Parliamentpublished at 23:54 British Summer Time 3 September 2019

    Theresa May sits in a carImage source, Reuters

    Former PM Theresa May has been photographed leaving the Houses of Parliament.

    Earlier, the Maidenhead MP sat next to Tory rebel Ken Clarke in the House of Commons.

  20. 'Long-standing convention' to remove whippublished at 23:43 British Summer Time 3 September 2019

    Chairman of the Conservatives tweets:

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