This is an incredibly complex issue but the debate is focused on two issues:

1. Is the meaningful vote (on the withdrawal agreement) amendable?

The government says the motion is still amendable, but they are also saying that any amendment to the motion may stop it being legitimate

This is because, according to the Withdrawal Act, the vote has to be a motion of “approval” – so if you amend an approval motion, at what point does it stop being an “approval”?

Hence the headline of it being a “deal or no deal” vote – approving any amendment is effectively voting down the motion.

2. What’s the procedure?

The crux of this question is whether government can make it so that MPs vote on the existing motion before they vote on amendments. Default procedure would allow MPs to vote on amendment(s) then on the motion, which may have been amended.

But if the government puts the motion first, this will make it harder for rebels to amend the motion because they’d have to vote against it before they can amend.

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Dominic Grieve says he finds the government's position on the issue "entirely unsatisfactory" arguing that it departs from the apparent assurances given to MPs regarding the alternatives to whether to accept or reject the Brexit deal.

He says Mr Raab has previously acknowledged that tabling an unamendable motion is not possible, but the government seems to have forgotten this with its submission to the Procedure Committee.

What happens if Parliament approves the motion but then amends it afterwards, he asks. "Is this enough to ratify the deal or not?"

He says that surely this would leave the situation unclear. He also warns that the government risks "undermining the trust of this House".

Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab says it is clear that "the approval will be a substantive motion", so the motion will be amendable. But he adds that "due to the legal status", a clear decision is needed, in order for the the withdrawal agreement to be worth anything.

He suggests any wish to change the terms of the agreement "come against very real practical and diplomatic obstacles", suggesting that there "wouldn't be time" to revisit negotiations. He also questions whether returning to the negotiating table is likely to result in any better alternative.

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Secretary of State for Exiting the EU Dominic Raab says that it is a matter for the Speaker if a motion on the exit deal is amendable.

"Any amendments on the motion...would not be able to affect amendments to the agreement or withdrawal framework which have been agreed at international level," he says.

It could not "affect, delay or prevent" the UK leaving the EU, Dominic Raab says.

"Approving the final deal will be the responsibility of the House alone, a responsibility which they should take very responsibly indeed."

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Conservative MP Dominic Grieve now stands up to deliver the second urgent question of the day regarding the ability of MPs to amend a motion on the meaningful vote, on the government's negotiated withdrawal agreement.

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Labour MP Helen Goodman asks what the benefit of leaving the customs union is for people in the North.

Labour MP Luciana Berger says many of her constituents in Liverpool work in the automotive industry and would be better off if the UK stays in the customs union. She asks if they are being considered in deal proposals.

"There are significant industries in the North East that rely on a strong relationship between us and the EU," Treasury Minister John Glen says.

"We understand this and it is important we get the deal and our departure right."

Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg asks if the UK stay in the customs union, if any revenues which came from customs be considered to be own resources.

"We need to have a fair settlement that does the right thing by the people of this country," John Glen says.

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Shadow chief secretary to the Treasury Peter Dowd criticises "the brass neck" of John Redwood, who he says has been "a cheerleader for austerity" for the past eight years.

He says the negotiations "succumb to a new failure everyday" and points out that the government has had two years to negotiate with the EU. He says the possible requests to extend the negotiation period is "humiliating", "if this government had got its act together, there wouldn't be talk of additional time", and criticises the government's reassurance that 95% of the agreement is done.

"Perhaps I could remind the government that 95% of the Titanic's journey was done."

He asks about trilateral discussions between the UK, EU and other countries "with which the the EU has preferential trading agreements".

Minister John Glen repeats that government remains in negotiations. He says details of the UK's future freedom to trade will be reported to MPs before the final vote on the deal and calls for patience.

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SNP's Kirsty Blackman asks the minister to say that if the government believes the UK will be better off outside of the customs union, whether he can give a figure for how much better off everyone will be.

Economic Secretary to the Treasury John Glen says he cannot give a figure, but says the government is determined to carry out a plan in the "best interest of the people" which involves leaving the customs union.

Labour MP Hilary Benn asks when the negotiations will be concluded as there has been a confusion of dates.

Mr Glen says "we are in a negotiation over the timings of the backstop, but the prime minister will clarify the answer later today".

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Responding to John Redwood, minister John Glen says the £35bn-£39bn worth of exit payments were agreed "on three principles".

• That the UK would not be making payments sooner than otherwise it would have done, were it to remain in the EU.
• The payments would be based on the actual cost of these commitments, rather than the forecast.
• That the UK would "include all benefits as a member state" during this period.

He says he's aware of the "wide range of concerns expressed by the House," but "we are in delicate negotiations". The prime minister will be giving a statement shortly, he points out.

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Conservative MP John Redwood asks for the cost of staying in the customs union and the cost of the draft withdrawal agreement.

Economic Secretary to the Treasury, John Glen, says "every arm of government is making sure the necessary arrangements are in place so we are ready to leave the EU."

"In respect of the customs union, common rules will remain in place during the implementation period to give businesses certainty, and this will mean that businesses can trade as they are," he says.

"The extension period would only be for a matter of months," he says, "but this is not expected to be used.

"The government will continue to build new relationships throughout the implementation period."

Mr Glen says this is the "fairest deal for UK taxpayers", and the settlement of £35bn-39bn was estimated "using reasonable assumptions and personally available data, which the National Audit Office has since regarded as 'perfectly reasonable'."

Tory MP and ardent Brexit supporter John Redwood says "we are desperately in need of more money for schools, for hospitals and for Universal Credit."

"Our economy is being slowed deliberately by fiscal squeeze which we need to lift, and all this is possible if we do not give £39bn to the EU and if we don't pledge £15bn for "some time never", he says.

Mr Redwood calls for a withdrawal agreement to be ruled out by the government, as it is "a surrender agreement that we cannot afford".

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Treasury Minister John Glen is answering an urgent question from Conservative MP John Redwood about the cost of staying in the customs union and the draft withdrawal agreement.

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Labour's Lord Morris of Aberavon asks a private notice question, concerning whether there are sufficient resources to investigate alleged sexual offences across the country.

The question follows the conviction of 20 men in Huddersfield, who were found guilty of being part of a grooming gang that raped and abused girls as young as 11.

Baroness Williams of Trafford says the government has made a commitment to tackle sexual abuse in all its forms.

Lord Morris of Aberavon says too often in the UK currently "justice delayed is justice denied". He says justice is being "sacrificed in favour of social cohesion".

"I don't think what happened here is political correctness," Baroness Williams says, explaining that it was the complexity of the case, the number involved and the types of crime committed that caused delay.

"Unless we can understand the root causes of this, it's very difficult to address it," she says, adding that the government has been clear that they will not let cultural or political issues get in the way of solving the problem.

Crossbencher Lord Blair of Boughton, a former Met Commissioner, says the "simple fact" is that police forces have less money than they did. He suggests "something is already starting to give, and the government must take action."

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Shadow defence secretary Nia Griffith says Theresa May announced "the end of austerity" at the Conservative party conference earlier this month, and asks if this includes defence where there have been "cuts upon cuts upon cuts".

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson says: "We all welcome the increase in service personnel pay as it's the largest pay increase that's been seen in recent times."

The shadow defence secretary asks the secretary of state if he has not noticed the vast impact of cuts on the UK's defence.

Gavin Williamson says "the government are investing in further training schemes for new recruits" and recruitment levels are "steady".

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Lord Foulkes of Cumnock asks whether the government has received reports or information about outside interference, and irregularities, during the European Union referendum.

Minister Lord Young of Cookham says the government has not been informed of "any successful outside interference in the referendum". He says the Electoral Commission's report in September 2016 suggested the referendum was delivered "without any major issues".

"I don't believe it, everyone knows the irregularities, the fraud and the corruption that took place," Lord Foulkes responds. "This result was obtained through fraud and corruption. The government has the opportunity to put this right."

He calls for a 'People's Vote' - another referendum - on the final Brexit deal.

Lord Young says the prime minister has been clear about her feelings on a second referendum, "and she doesn't want one".

"It's important to keep this in perspective," he says; adding that the impact of Russia was "at best marginal". He says he was just as disappointed at the result of the referendum, but doesn't believe it was the result of interference or Twitter.

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Labour MP Alison McGovern asks a question about the effect of the security situation in Syria on the delivery of aid to that country by the armed forces.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson says the UK supports the advice of charities including the Red Cross to meet the needs of refugees in Syria.

"So far we have committed £2.1bn since 2012," the secretary of state says.

Alison McGovern asks for all options to be kept on the table "to make sure we do everything we can to get basic and needed supplies to people in Syria".

Mr Williamson says the government "recognises the dreadful plight that the people in Syria are facing", and that "the government will always support them".

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Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine asks how effective the UK's cyber counter-measures have been as a result of alleged Russian malicious activity in Europe.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williams says the government takes cyber security "very seriously" and has identified "a number of cyber actors widely known to have been conducting cyber attacks around the world who are associated to the GRU".

Ms Jardine says "Russia has developed sophisticated cyber espionage which it is exploiting to pursue strategic goals", and asks how the government are going to lead a plan against this threat.

Gavin Williamson says the government has invested over £1bn and is committed to a coordinated response to all attacks.

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Labour's Lord West of Spithead asks about the government plan to withdraw the Batch 1 River-class offshore patrol vessels HMS Tyne, Severn, Mersey and Clyde from service.

Defence Minister Earl Howe says plans have yet to be finalised, depending on requirement for fishery protection after Brexit. He adds that HMS Severn has left service, "and is held alongside, pending these deliberations".

Lord West says the defence secretary has claimed "the navy is growing...it isn't."

He says there is a "real concern" that there are "not enough assets" within the UK's exclusive economic zone and territorial seas, calling for an increase in ships to look after those waters.

Earl Howe says he's sure Lord West will recognise the "extent of the investment" that has been devoted to the Royal Navy over the last few years, but agrees with his point. He says it's important the government considers extending the service of the ships mentioned, as well as introducing new vessels.

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Conservative Lord Leigh of Hurley asks what is being done to ensure online marketplaces take all reasonable steps to stop VAT evasion.

In response, Lord Bates says the UK is the first country to make online marketplaces jointly liable for VAT fraud committed on platforms.

He says since HMRC has received around 43,500 VAT registration applications from non-EU based online sellers since 2016, compared to in 1,650 in 2015.

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Conservative MP Mark Francois asks the minister if there's any good news about defence recruitment that he can share.

Last week at a Defence Select Committee hearing, Mr Francois told the Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson that "the army is disappearing before our eyes".

Defence Minister Mark Lancaster says "there is good news, as applications are now at a five year high".

Shadow defence secretary Nia Griffith asks when the government are going to own up to the fact that "recruitment is plummeting", and asks when the minister will listen to the Defence Committee's recent report.

Mark Lancaster says the Ministry of Defence is the largest provider of apprenticeships in the UK, and as he has previously said, "much is being done to ensure that recruitment maintains steady".

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The Lords begin their day, with Lib-Dem Baroness Hussein-Ece asking what steps the government is taking to reduce youth crime in London. She says there has been an "alarming" rise in youth crime in London, up by 15%. This year has seen an "average of 14 knife crimes per day" in London, she says.

She asks for the government to commit "sufficient resources", as well as taking a public health approach, which has been suggested by the Youth Violence Commission and has been successful in Glasgow.

Baroness Williams of Trafford responds, stating that the government is supporting an early intervention approach with its serious violence strategy, as well as introducing a "youth endowment fund" to tackle the problem. She also mentions the work of Red Thread, external, whose work in London hospitals the government is supporting.

Conservative Lord Garel-Jones raises concerns over the closure of youth centres and asks whether there are any government plans to substitute that loss.

Baroness Williams is met with groans when she replies that "youth provision funding is a decision for local authorities". She adds however, that the government has contributed £40m for youth services nationally, plus an additional £40m has come from lottery funding.