Brexit: House of Lords to decide on no deal Brexit bill
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Members of Parliament (MPs) have backed a bill which aims to stop no-deal Brexit from happening
Members of Parliament (MPs) have backed a bill which aims to stop no-deal Brexit from happening.
A vote on Wednesday night saw MPs who disagree with Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Brexit plans come one step closer to forcing him to go back to the EU to ask for an extension to the Brexit deadline, if there's no progress by 19 October.
This is not what Mr Johnson wants to do.
He had said the UK will leave the EU on 31 October - whether or not a deal had been reached with EU leaders about how that should happen. But lots of people think that leaving without a deal should not be an option for the UK - and a group of MPs have been working together this week to stop it from happening.
Now, the bill will pass to the other part of the Houses of Parliament called the House of Lords, where it will also need to be approved.
If the House of Lords approves the bill without any changes, the final step of the process would be for the bill to receive Royal Assent - approval from the Queen - which would officially make it a law, potentially delaying Brexit beyond 31 October.
WATCH: Martin's at Westminster to find out what's been going on
It's a *massive* week in Parliament as MPs and Prime Minister Boris Johnson clash about what will happen next with Brexit.
Monday: Showdown in Parliament this week to decide what happens next
Tuesday: Boris Johnson no longer has the majority of MPs on his side in Parliament
Wednesday: MPs battle to block prime minister's Brexit plans
It wasn't the only defeat inflicted on the prime minister last night, though.
After being defeated in the vote about the new Brexit bill, Mr Johnson stood up and insisted there was only one option left - a general election. But another vote was held about this - and MPs rejected the idea.
To make a general election happen, Mr Johnson needed the support of at least two-thirds of MPs. But Labour and other opposition MPs would not back this move while the option of a no-deal Brexit on 31 October was still on the table.
There were two votes in the House of Commons last night - neither of which had an outcome that the prime minister would have liked
It doesn't mean that an election can't happen at some point - it still could, although we don't know anything for certain - but we do know that it won't be happening right now.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said his party would back an election, but only once the bill to delay a no-deal Brexit had been passed - and not before. We will have to wait to see what happens next.