On 27 March 2019, the motion to take over the order of business for the day was debated, voted on and agreed.
The motion was proposed by Prime Minister of the day Oliver Letwin and takes over business in the House of Commons in order to promote and vote on a number of motions intended to find a consensus amongst MPs for how to handle Brexit, after leaving it alone for 727 days since they agreed to invoke Article 50 to leave the EU.
The motion was as follows:
(1) That, at today’s sitting –
(a) any proceedings governed by the resolution of the House of 25 March (Section 13 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018) or this order may be proceeded with until any hour, though opposed and shall not be interrupted;
(b) the resolution of the House of 25 March shall apply as if, at the end of paragraph (b), there were inserted “and then to a motion in the name of a Minister of the Crown to approve the draft European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (Exit Day) (Amendment) Regulations 2019”;
(c) notwithstanding the practice of the House, any motion on matters that have been the subject of a prior decision of the House in the current Session may be the subject of a decision;
(d) the Speaker shall announce his decision on which motions have been selected for decision by recorded vote before calling a Member to move a motion under paragraph (f) of the resolution of 25 March;
(e) the first signatory of a motion so selected may inform the Speaker up to 4.00 pm that they do not wish a recorded vote to take place on that motion;
(f) having been so informed, the Speaker shall announce that information to the House and may announce a new decision on selection;
(g) the Speaker may not propose the question on any amendment to any motion subject to decision by recorded vote or on the previous question, and may not put any question under Standing Order No. 36 (Closure of debate) or Standing Order No. 163 (Motion to sit in private);
