Is due in a couple of hours. Ministers warn they will withdraw the brexit bill if they lose the timetable motion, and theyll push for a general election. Well have the latest on the debate in the commons. Well be looking ahead to the votes and well be examining the likely options, so stay with us. Its 5 oclock. Were live at westminster just a few hours ahead of two crucial votes which will dictate the future of the Brexit Process. At around 7 oclock tonight the house of commons will vote on the main brexit legislation, the Withdrawal Agreement bill, and then, crucially, on the parliamentary timetable for scrutiny of the bill, which is limited to just three days of debate. Many mps believe this is totally insufficient given the complexity and importance of the legislation, but the Prime Minister told mps this afternoon that if the timetable is rejected, and if hes faced with another long delay offered by the eu, he will withdraw the bill and try to call a general election. So, to underline, at 7 tonight therell be a vote on the Withdrawal Agreement bill which runs to 110 pages, which puts borisjohnsons brexit deal into law. If mps back the bill, they will then vote on whats called a Programme Motion, setting out the parliamentary timetable. If that motion is lost, the Prime Minister warned that an election might be needed, possibly before christmas. Our Political Correspondent helen catt has been following the Days Developments. The Prime Minister is urging mps to back his Withdrawal Agreement bill, but along with reassurances, a threat. If parliament refuses to allow brexit to happen and instead, gets its way and decides to delay everything untiljanuary or possibly longer, in those circumstances the government cant continue with this. With great regret i will go directly to the point that the honourable gentleman raises. With great regret the bill will have to be pulled and we will have to go forward, much as the right honourable gentleman might not like it, we will have to go forward to a general election. The government is racing the clock to try to push the bill through both houses of parliament in just over a week so it can keep its pledge to leave the eu on the planned brexit day, next thursday. It gives mps just three days to debate the detail, not long enough say some for such an important document that is over 100 pages long. Page after page of what amounts to nothing less then a charter to nothing less than a charter for deregulation and a race to the bottom. Thats why they like it. A deal and a bill that fails to protect our rights and our natural world, fails to protectjobs and the economy, fails to protect every region and nation in the United Kingdom. As it stands, mps will vote on the principle of the bill at second reading around seven tonight. If that passes, the vote on the timetable will be held straight afterwards. If both pass, then the bill will go immediately to the Committee Stage where mps will try to amend or make changes to it. The bill deals with the technical nitty gritty of turning what is in the Withdrawal Agreement into uk law. So, for example, it sets out exactly how the uk will make payments to the eu. Parliament has to pass this bill if the deal is to come into force, and if it doesnt, the default legal position is no deal brexit next thursday. But it is thought that in that case the eu would almost certainly grant a further extension. But borisjohnson has repeatedly made clear that is not what he wants and if he abandons his attempt to get a deal past and pushes for an election, expect him to try to direct the finger of blame firmly at parliament. Those are the Days Development so far. The debate in the commons is still going on. The debate in the commons is still going on. Lets get the latest now from our chief Political Correspondent vicki young. We had a sense earlier clearly of the position of the two front benches, but lets deal first of all with the Prime Ministers some would say threat, some would say assertion, that if he does not get the timetable through, he will withdraw the entire bill. He said this in the house of commons and a lot of people are seeing it as a direct threat. He said if the timetable is voted down and if the eu were to grant what he called a long extension to the end of january or beyond, he would decide not to progress with the bill any further. He cannot pull it, it may well have got its second reading, but it would not go through any further stages. The question is how would he get to the point of holding a general election . It is tricky to do under the fixed Term Parliaments act. Could he bring forward a simple one line bill so he needs a simple majority . If the extension, that delay to brexit had been granted by the eu to the end ofjanuary, if delay to brexit had been granted by the eu to the end of january, if you look at what is being said publicly by labour, they said if an extension is there and no deal is off the table, they would vote for an election. Mps have said they want an election. Mps have said they want an election. I have talked to a senior liberal democrat and they have also said they would back an election. It would be difficult for labour not to back one. You could be looking at a december election in that scenario. The other scenario is that the eu comes back and says we will give you an extension of a few weeks simply to get that legislation through and then borisjohnson to get that legislation through and then Boris Johnson has to get that legislation through and then borisjohnson has a choice. Does he change and go against what he has said publicly about living on october the 31st, do or die . Does he do that and accept a short extension oi do that and accept a short extension or does he lose the bill altogether . Quite a tricky decision for him later or in the next few days. Certainly tricky. When you look at the size and the complexity of the legislation, on average what kind of timescale are mps looking at which would seem to them to be a reasonable time to scrutinise a bill of this size . Clearly three days is not enough for most of them, so what would be sufficient . This argument has been raging all day really. There are many who say we have been discussing this for three and a half yea rs discussing this for three and a half years and there will not be a single new argument put forward now because we have talked about it endlessly in parliament. On the other hand, people are saying they have not seen the Withdrawal Agreement bill before, it was only published yesterday, it is important that parliament does its job of closely scrutinising what is being set out. Most people think that by thursday it is not long enough. There are people who would say another two or three weeks would be sufficient to get it through. But what the government argues is that there are some calling for more time to debate it who simply want to stop brexit and they say they are not being honest about it. Equally on the other side there are Opposition Mps saying this is all because Boris Johnson made that promise and kept saying it, do or die, iwould rather die ina saying it, do or die, iwould rather die in a ditch than go beyond october the 31st. They say there is no need to do that, you can go beyond that and nobody would care about it. By 7 30pm this evening we will know what has happened. This is rory stewart the former conservative leadership contender. Letsjoin rory stewart the former conservative leadership contender. Lets join the debate. In return people deserve scrutiny. This is a hell of a big document. We cannot pretend that two and a half days is long enough to scrutinise it. I know there will be many voices in the chamber who say we have been talking about this long enough and what are we going to scrutinise anyway . What speeches are we going to hear that we have not already heard . We going to hear that we have not already heard . The we going to hear that we have not already heard . The whole place is a talking shop. We cannot think like this. This is our parliament, we cannot do down our parliament. This was an exercise, as the honourable memberfor was an exercise, as the honourable member for wokingham has said was an exercise, as the honourable memberfor wokingham has said again and again, in regaining the sovereignty of parliament. If it is about regaining the sovereignty of parliament, then Treat Parliament with respect. We are taking back control from a European Court to a British Court, treat the British Court with respect. If you are taking that control from European Parliament to a British Parliament, then Treat Parliament with respect. If you are taking back control, then show that you are worthy to exercise that control. All i am asking for is a little patience. Three days in committee, three days in report, you can have it done in the house of commons by the 31st of october and taking it to the lords. I promise you, there is moment for you, instead of being poisoned with the stain of illegitimacy, instead of being associated with bullying tactics and a casual attitude towards the Supreme Court and the monarchy and the parliament, can instead be done in an honourable, responsible and proper fashion of which you can be proud for the next 40 which you can be proud for the next a0 yea rs. Which you can be proud for the next 40 years. Jonathan edwards. Rory stewart making the case for a much longer period of scrutiny for the builder borisjohnsons longer period of scrutiny for the builder Boris Johnsons government has put forward, it will put his brexit bill into law. It runs to 110 pages in the case being made by rory stewart a nd pages in the case being made by rory stewart and others is that the three and a half days set down for this rapid and intensive debate to get it through parliament quickly, there is a lot of opposition to it. At the European Parliament in strasbourg the European Council president donald tusk told meps the political situation in the uk had become more complex and that eu leaders would decide whether to grant any brexit extension based on what westminster did or did not decide. The eus chief negotiator Michel Barnier said the deal reached last week was the only possible agreement. From strasbourg our correspondent adam fleming reports. Tonight, the moment of truth. Good morning, sir. Do you think it will go through . Its the only question being asked today in the European Parliament. President tusk, do you think the deal will go through tonight . Are you going to cross your fingers . President juncker, do you think the deal will go through tonight . The answer cant come soon enough for some in the eu. In truth, it has pained me to spend so much of this monday dealing with brexit when i have thought of nothing less than how this union could do better for its citizens. Waste of time and waste of energy. Eu leaders are waiting for news from another parliament before deciding on a possible extension to the Brexit Process. I am consulting the leaders on how to react and will decide in the coming days. It is obvious that the result of these consultations will very much depend on what the British Parliament decides or doesnt decide. We should be ready for every scenario. Meps also want further reassurance about how eu citizens in the uk will be treated under the deal. I want to see this problem solved, dear colleagues. We dont want that eu citizens become victims in another windrush scandal in britain. That cannot happen. And for the brits, this is their last trip to strasbourg. Again. On saturday, i marched with a million others in london calling for a peoples vote. I marched because leaving the eu through the British Governments rotten deal poses a threat to our country. Parliament does not have a democratic mandate for a second referendum or cancelling brexit, and yet they are amending their way to it. Control has been stolen from my people. And thats it for today, for meps on all sides of the debate. The next time they talk about brexit, it will be to approve the final deal and they wont do that until its gone through all its stages at westminster. Adam fleming, bbc news, strasbourg. Kevin connolly is in brussels. Lets talk hypothetically for a moment. Lets say that this timetable motion at westminster is rejected and that therefore leads to calls for another extension, what is the likely response there . Lets talk hypothetically for months, as we have been doing and we may be forced to do for a while yet. If the timetable motion fails, then Donald Tuskis timetable motion fails, then donald tusk is going to have a very intense talks with the leaders of the other 27 member states. They will have to come up with a plan. The feeling is that if things were going through Parliament Just about, and that if things were going through parliamentjust about, and there was a need for a short extension, you might be able to do that with a meeting of eu ambassadors here in brussels, or with an exchange of e mails among the leaders. If the legislation at westminster fails, they will see that as a political problem that requires a Political Fix. That means the leaders, rather relu cta ntly fix. That means the leaders, rather reluctantly as they are all fatigued with this, they will have to meet in brussels face to face and work out what sort of extension to offer, a political extension to allow some kind of Political Fix political extension to allow some kind of politicalfix in political extension to allow some kind of Political Fix in the political extension to allow some kind of politicalfix in the uk. That would be a matter of weeks or months, the end ofjanuary that would be a matter of weeks or months, the end of january is that would be a matter of weeks or months, the end ofjanuary is a popular date. Some people think it should be longer. That includes people like the french who are exasperated by the thought of another extension, but want to make sure if they are forced to give one, that it sure if they are forced to give one, thatitis sure if they are forced to give one, that it is long enough to allow some kind of political solution to emerge on the other side of the channel, on the british side of the channel. To add to the complication there are whispers from downing street again suggesting that the Prime Minister may say to eu leaders, i dont want a delay, i want to get this done by the end of the month, it will not help me if you offer another delay. How does that change things on the other side . I dont think that does because one of the big rules of the European Union, which i know it doesnt always feel like this, but i think it is broadly true, is that you dont interfere in the politics at home of a member state. So any manipulation of the idea that an extension can be taken for granted, oi extension can be taken for granted, or it would be impossible on the other hand, that will not play in brussels politics because they will never want to look as though they are intervening in politics in the uk and try to push things one way or another. They dont like the idea of brexit, that has not changed, they are brexit, that has not changed, they a re weary brexit, that has not changed, they are weary of the negotiations, that will not change. They accept, however, and this will not change either, that they have to grant an extension if it is requested because as Donald Tasker said today, they are never going to want to look as though no deal brexit was their choice and their fault rather than something that came from the uk. Kevin, good to talk to you. Kevin connolly, our correspondent in brussels. Kevin connolly, our correspondent in brussels. With me now is ian blackford, the snps parliamentary leader at westminster. Thank you forjoining us. It is a pleasure. You have made your view clearer about the legislation and the parliamentary motion itself. What do you think will happen later . The Prime Minister will get his way on the second reading. I fervently hope that colleagues reject the Programme Motion. What that is all about is the time we are given to debate. There is little time to discuss what is really complex legislation. In the Committee Stage, when the maastricht treaty was being discussed in parliament there were more than 100 hours for debate. It is really important, given the significance of this. Whatever your view on this, this will affect us for decades, our children and grandchildren, and there has to be effective parliamentary scrutiny and i really Hope Parliament votes down the Programme Motion tonight. That is the right thing to do for all of us. Is the right thing to do for all of us. Give us the time to have a debate about the implications, what it means for Northern Ireland and the trading relationship, the environment, workers rights. We really have to have scrutiny of this bill, it is a big bi