Laura Kuenssberg
BBC political editor

As ever in Parliament, while there is something to argue about it, it can be a bit foolish to predict the outcome.

Even if the election bill clears the Commons tonight, it has to go down to the House of Lords for their rubber stamping tomorrow.

But without question, the political gravity here is all pulling us in one direction.

Barring anything very strange happening in the next 24 hours, we don't know the date, but we do pretty well know it's going to happen.

House of Commons
Parliament

The SNP's Tommy Sheppard admits that it is "clearly not ideal to have an election a couple of weeks before Christmas for anyone".

He adds: "The nights are drawing in, it will be cold and dark, and people will be looking forward to spending time with their relatives."

But Mr Sheppard says his party thinks it is a "necessary requirement" because Parliament has "reached an impasse".

He says it will be "the Brexit election" and the SNP still want to stop the UK exiting the EU.

House of Commons
Parliament

Minister Oliver Dowden says he wants to list the reasons the government has chosen 12 December as the election date.

He says it "gives Parliament enough time to progress essential business" - specifically the Northern Ireland budget bill.

"It gives the funding to the civil service it needs," he adds, and to move the date forward would "put at risk delivery of public services and proper governance".

The other reason, says Mr Dowden, is it is "convention" to hold elections on a Thursday.

"There doesn't seem to be a strong argument to the contrary," he adds.

Mr Dowden says there is "no substance to the point" about students and there was "no danger of disenfranchising" them.

MPs have a laugh as Speaker John Bercow fills for time after his deputy Lindsay Hoyle doesn't arrive to take over:

One point of interest here - because MPs did not hold a vote by walking through the division lobbies in the Commons, the votes of individual MPs were not recorded.

This means that we won't get a breakdown of which MPs backed the bill at its second reading stage.

House of Commons
Parliament

Cat Smith returns to the dispatch box to move Labour's amendment to change the date of the election to 9 December.

She says it will allow "the largest number of people possible" to take part.

The shadow deputy leader of the House also says there are 9.5 million people not registered to vote correctly, with the young being the most common.

She also claims the date proposed by the government - 12 December - would mean students could miss out as they may not be at their term-time addresses.

"Students must not be disenfranchised by an election date," she adds.

But minister Oliver Dowden says the government will resist the amendment.

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Parliament

Speaker John Bercow exits the chair as one of his deputies proceeds over the Committee stage.

This is the next stage of the bill where MPs will discuss amendments and further scrutinise it.

House of Commons
Parliament

When asked if they approve the second reading, MPs overwhelmingly shout "aye" over "no".

This means the second reading is passed without a vote.

House of Commons
Parliament

Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden is closing the debate for the government.

He pays tribute to all the members who have contributed and "spoken with genuine sincerity and passion".

But he picks out a few who all "made the same point - people want to get Brexit done and move on, and the only way we can do that is to have a general election mandate".

Mr Dowden adds: "Let me be clear. The government would rather be getting on with a smooth and orderly Brexit.

"But the challenge we have is that whenever Parliament has had the opportunity to get Brexit done, it has not taken it.

"The public want us to get on with it and get Brexit done."

House of Commons
Parliament

Labour's Cat Smith is now starting the closing statements of the debate on behalf of the opposition.

She begins by attacking Boris Johnson for "breaking his promise" over Brexit and the cost to the taxpayer.

"To this day he continues to try and deflect the blame on anyone he can think of," she adds.

"It is clear that a general election is needed because this government has lost the trust of this country and we know the damage a no-deal Brexit will do.

"We cannot trust the prime minister to be true to his word."

A provisional list of amendments has been published, having been chosen by the deputy speaker Lindsay Hoyle.

The first is to change the election date to 9 December - put forward by Labour.

The second is a technical amendment that backs up the first.

And the final amendment is from the government to change the registration date for voting to the same as the rest of the UK.

No 10 said it would have pulled the election bill had this amendment been selected and then passed by MPs.

House of Commons
Parliament

Former Tory MP Ed Vaizey now sits as an independent after being kicked out of the party for voting against a no-deal Brexit.

He tells the Commons: "It is an example of the journey I have made in this House over the past 14 years that [my] first maiden speech was a Eurosceptic speech.

"Now I will make a resolutely pro-Remain, pro-European speech."

But the Speaker, John Bercow, says there is "no need for either of the two" as the debate should be about "whether there should or shouldn't be a general election - nothing more".

Mr Vaizey says he noted his "error" as soon as the Speaker stood, and says he will take a "forensic approach".

He adds: "The point I was going to make was that I support calling an election. It is quite right that we try and break the deadlock that exists in Parliament by having an election as soon as possible."

Some BBC journalists are faring better than others, it seems.

The government is aiming to complete all the Commons stages of its early election bill by the end of the day - a process that normally takes several days.

A vote on the second reading of the bill - the first Commons hurdle to be overcome - is expected shortly before 18:00 GMT.

The Commons has already backed the programme motion - setting the timetable for the legislation - after MPs changed it to allow backbenchers to amend the bill during its passage.

It will be up to the Deputy Speaker Lindsay Hoyle - who oversees the committee stage of bills - to decide which, if any, amendments will be debated and voted on.

MPs will give their final approval to the bill, and any amendments passed, at the third reading stage. This is expected some time around 20:00 GMT.

If MPs back the bill, then there is almost certain to be a pre-Christmas election although the legislation will still have to clear the House of Lords.

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Parliament

Labour MP Jess Phillips says the "trouble with the government" is it acts like it has a majority "regardless of the fact it hasn't".

She says Theresa May suffered the same problem and that the opportunity to "bring a bill we could all sit down and agree on together was never taken".

Ms Phillips adds: "The referendum was not won decisively by one side. It was a marginal win.

"Then after the 2017 election again the country was split."

She continues: "The job of this House is that different people come here from different places to make laws that aren't made for one person but represent the country.

"I seem to be in a twilight zone where the government seems to think they write a line and it is 'my way or the highway'.

"Well, welcome to parliamentary democracy."

House of Commons
Parliament

Tory MP Caroline Johnson says she doesn't think anyone - not the politicians or the public - wants an election.

But she says what they do want is Brexit.

"Even those constituents I meet who voted to Remain or those business owners who voted Remain also want Brexit done," she says.

"What they tell me now is, look, we really wanted to stay... but now what we see is that the ongoing uncertainty and kicking the can down the road all the time is more damaging to our business than any form of Brexit."

Image source, AFP

The European Council has released a statement saying they had adopted the decision to extend the deadline for Brexit.

The statement says the extension will last until 31 January 2020 "to allow more time for the ratification of the withdrawal agreement".

However, it says the UK can exit on 1 December 2019 or 1 January 2020 "if the withdrawal agreement is ratified by both parties".

It continues: "For the duration of the extension the United Kingdom remains a member state with all the rights and obligations set out in the treaties and under EU law.

"The decision was taken unanimously by the European Council by written procedure, with the agreement of the UK."

House of Commons
Parliament

Labour MP Kate Hoey questions the need for a four-hour debate on the second reading of the early election bill.

The Leave campaigner, who has announced she is standing down at the next election, says: "When I saw this was coming today, I wondered why on earth we needed four hours.

"Because it is a very simple choice we have got. We either want to vote for a general election or we don't."

Ms Hoey say she backed Boris Johnson's motion last night to call an election and would be doing the same today.

She adds: "I don't think there will be anybody in this chamber... who will change their mind one iota by this debate.

"And I think some members are probably using it more as an election address."