Substance of this vote is about. We will then move on, after that, to possibly an even more challenging vote for the government, which is on the timetabling. How much time do mps get to scrutinise this very important piece of legislation . So, thats the picture for you, and thats the picture for you, and thats what were expecting in the next half hour or so. Our chief Political Correspondent vicki young is inside the houses of parliament, in the central lobby, very close to the chamber of the house of commons, where the voting is happening. Vicki, talk us through this first vote. A bill going through parliament has various stages, the first one where it is debated is this one, mps have been talking about it all day. There is a vote and it has to get through the vote in order to progress to the next stage, which will be where mps look in detail at what the bill is about, and at that point they could perhaps try to make some changes. If this we re try to make some changes. If this were to pass tonight, and i think the government is quietly confident that they may have the numbers, it really would be the first time that mps have backed any kind of brexit deal, in this very long process, almost 3. 5 years since the referendum was held. Tonight, it would depend on labour votes, so it will depend on labour mps, many of them in constituencies where most of them in constituencies where most of the people voted for brexit, it will depend on them backing this and backing the conservative government. The government side will be trying to keep down the number of rebels, they have some conservatives who have been booted out of the parliamentary conservative party, who wont back this tonight. So, this is the first stage where the government will be hoping that the house of commons shows it does support Boris Johnsons brexit house of commons shows it does support borisjohnsons brexit deal. Now, it is along road for that bill to get through notjust here but also through the house of lords. So, it is fraught with difficulty for the government, even if it were to pass tonight. But probably even more contentious is the timetabling of it all, how quickly the government wa nts to all, how quickly the government wants to push this through the house of commons in the house of lords. As you say, vicki, it would be very significant if the government carried this second reading vote because as you say it would be the first time that the house had okayed any kind of brexit deal. But as you say, the motion on timetabling, and how they manage this debate, is likely to cause possibly more problems. How do you see that going . And to explain again, when a bill goes through parliament, it normally ta kes goes through parliament, it normally takes several weeks. On this occasion, the government wants the bit which has to be done in the house of commons with mps to be done and dusted by thursday night. Given that this is a very significant piece of legislation, as weve said, it runs to a large number of pages, mps are very upset about the fact that they feel it is being pushed through without proper scrutiny. The flipside to that argument is coming from the government and lots of conservative mps, that really, theyve been talking about this for 3. 5 years, and even though theresa may didnt get her deal through, quite a lot of this bill was what she was proposing all that time ago. Now, there are differences, of course there, but actually, lots would say, youve had enough time to discuss all of this. So, that will be the contentious point, and i think what will happen is that some labour mps will vote for the deal, for the bill, in the first vote, but they dont like the way that it is being pushed through, so, that could being pushed through, so, that could be the point where the government might come unstuck. I think that is going to be an incredibly close vote and nobody ive spoken to today is willing to call which way that is going to go. They are alljust saying it is going to be very close to double vicki, we will be back to you very shortly. Were keeping an eye on the chamber of the house of commons itself, which is fairly empty at the moment because the mps are voting. We will be back there as soon we are voting. We will be back there as soon we see any are voting. We will be back there as soon we see any kind of activity of the vote to be unready to be declared. It should take about 15 minutes or so, given the numbers voting. Lets just minutes or so, given the numbers voting. Letsjust remind minutes or so, given the numbers voting. Lets just remind you of whats going on in the chamber. Mps are voting on borisjohnsons Withdrawal Agreement bill, its purposeis Withdrawal Agreement bill, its purpose is to turn the Prime Ministers deal with the eu, his brexit deal, which is a draft treaty, into uk law. But what does it actually cover . It sets out how the uk will make so called divorce bill payments to the eu for years to come. It talks about how customs and regulations will work in practice between britain and Northern Ireland. It also refers to a new independent Monitoring Authority that will be set up to safeguard citizens rights. Those are just three areas for you, there are many more, of course. That gives you a sense of why lots of mps think they need far more than three days to go through that in some detail. It is such an important piece of legislation. Lets talk about that, and what we are expected, with my panel. Kathryn howden from the institute for government, and we have the leader writer for the Daily Telegraph, government, and we have the leader writerfor the Daily Telegraph, and the former labour adviser as well. Good of the three of you to join us. I suppose, first of all, we need to just underlying to viewers how significant these events are. Weve been through this brexit process, a lot of people are rather punchdrunk but these votes coming out tonight are very significant . They really are very significant . They really are and also lets remember how long it has taken to get here. Theresa may tried three times to get a meaningful vote through, she did not even get to this point, she was just trying to get initial approval from the commons to be able to bring her a bill to parliament. Borisjohnson was not able to have that vote on saturday, but now he has got this second reading, the ability to try and move the legislation into the chamber and get debating it properly. So, this is really his meaningful vote. If he passes this first vote, it is a huge win for him. So, that is significant. I suppose i am bound to ask, really, do you detect among conservative mps a confidence that the second reading will go as planned, are there any real concerns that the Prime Minister might lose it . With the usual caveat that everything i say turns out to be wrong, most people are confident that it will pass the second reading. Labour will oppose but there are sufficient numbers of rebel labourmps, but there are sufficient numbers of rebel labour mps, people like lisa nandy, and independent mps, who will probably support it. So the conservatives are quite confident on that one. The problem then is the Programme Motion which follows after it. Borisjohnson has set a political goal ever since he ran for leader of getting britain out of time of 31st october, thats why it is so important. Thus, the conservatives are worried about losing control of the bill, that in the next few days, it might get so amended that it is not the thing which they negotiated. Thats why theyre very keen to keep pressure up. They will be watching for how big the second reading vote is. After that, they are really putting everything onto the Programme Motion and maintaining control of the paper. Because the problem is, of course, as we have been hinting, there will be quite a few mps who are happy to give the second reading approval, but they wont be so happy with the three days of pressured debate and curtail to debate as they see it on the bill itself . That is the nub of the issue, yes. Iagree with tim, i think there will be quite a few labour mps that cross a very big moral line for them, to throw the Prime Minister a political lifeline on brexit. But they will be worried about the Programme Motion. One of the formal advisors, current adviser, to the Prime Minister, nicki da costa, said, a bill of this magnitude needs about four weeks to be properly scrutinised. And so, three days doesnt quite cut it for people. So i think that is where the tension is going to come. But for any labourmp who tension is going to come. But for any labour mp who does break the whip across that line, this is a very big moment for them, be very clear about that. I was going to pick up on that, because for those labourmps, pick up on that, because for those labour mps, who pick up on that, because for those labourmps, who are pick up on that, because for those labour mps, who are so minded, there will be lots of colleagues putting them under a lot of pressure . There will, notjust colleagues, but wider parts of the movement, the trade union movement, as you know, very closely aligned to the labour party, workers rights, something which people are feeling very worried about, the idea that there will be a looser relationship with the eu which might imperil workers rights down the track. So the stakes are very dry. It is a big values question, notjust very dry. It is a big values question, not just about the detail, for a lot of people on the labour side and part of that movement. Are we talking a handful of mps who are in that area, half a dozen, or what is your sense . At one point Stephen Kinnock was leading a group of labourmps, kinnock was leading a group of labour mps, saying, it could be around 40. I dont think will be that you tax high. But i wouldnt be surprised if you are looking at about 10 12 mps, which would be enough to help the Prime Minister get over the line. Coming back to tim and catherine, just in terms of, lam tim and catherine, just in terms of, i am calling it a timetable motion, so i am calling it a timetable motion, so that viewers understand what we are talking about here, if it is lost, lets just say for a second that the Prime Minister gets the second reading but he fails to get his timetable, as he wishes it, where does that leave him . procedural rate, you canjust where does that leave him . procedural rate, you can just carry on because it just procedural rate, you can just carry on because itjust means that you cannot control how much time mps spend on each bet. Procedurally. There is this thing called a close a motion where you can basically say, i think we need to move on. But it means that the covenant have lost a lot of control, theyre reliant on mps voting to end each bit so it could really drag out. Their other option is to bring back another, different timetable motion which perhaps gives a bit more time to mps, but that might mean having to go and ask for a short extension. At the moment that is not what the government want to do. On the question of the extension, tim, clearly it depends on the response in brussels, but what is the thinking in the conservative party on the need for a possible short extension, and what if the eu says, actually, we will do it if you have an election or if they put conditions on it. . An election or if they put conditions on it. . Well, the an election or if they put conditions on it. . Well, the pm has said he will pull it if they lose the Programme Motion. He doesnt want an extension. It is not impossible to imagine there being one of a couple of weeks, there have been some noises around that. It depends on when the eu is willing to extend to. The eu will have to debate what happens tonight, and discuss it, and it is expected it will be till january. Discuss it, and it is expected it will be tilljanuary. But what the government ideally wants to do is to try to trigger an election. And to run an election on the theme of, we we nt run an election on the theme of, we went to the eu, we got a deal, we brought it back, but the remainers tried to stop us. So therefore we wa nt tried to stop us. So therefore we want an election on whether or not brexit itself should actually happen. I think the government is quite affable it could win that kind of election. Bear with us because i am going to go straight back into the chamber to see what is going on. Because it has filled up very nicely again. As we can see, a crowd of people including Kenneth Clarke, the father of the house, at the bottom of the frame. Getting already for this first vote to be announced. And it will be, i reckon, in a few minutes time, it is 12 minutes past seven here at westminster, so it will not be too long, i dont think, ifi will not be too long, i dont think, if i can bring vicki young back in again, who is outside the chamber for us. Just looking at these pictures, vicki, imjust for us. Just looking at these pictures, vicki, im just wondering, are you seeing any government whips or anything, any signals at all that would tell us something about how this vote might be going . No, i think theyre more relaxed, if that is the right word, about this one. I think they feel they have enough labour mps willing to pass the bill at this stage. That doesnt mean that further down the line, if we get further down the line, that they wont try and make changes to it, i think they will. But at this point, this is in principle saying, we support what is in this bill, which, to remind people, is, of course, the deal that borisjohnson to remind people, is, of course, the deal that Boris Johnson has to remind people, is, of course, the deal that borisjohnson has done with the eu. This implements it, its the legislation, the law which needs to be passed, before the uk can leave the eu. Now, as you can see, it is completely packed in there, it normally takes about 15 minutes for a vote. Borisjohnson said today Boris Johnson said today that borisjohnson said today that if Boris Johnson said today that if we had a second vote, which is timetabling the bill to make sure that it passes through this place quickly and cannot be held up for weeks, he says if the second part is not passed and the eu grants a dilated brexit owing to the end of january or even dilated brexit owing to the end of january or even longer dilated brexit owing to the end of january or even longer than he says that he will pull the bill. You cannot actually do that but what he cannot actually do that but what he can do is suspend it so it does no further. Some see that as a threat particularly may be to independent labour and conservative mps, it is ha rd to labour and conservative mps, it is hard to win in a general election if you are an independent mp. It does not happen often. So they think they are trying to focus the minds of the mps toa are trying to focus the minds of the mps to a stunning street would say, get brexit done. That has been the slogan all along but others say it would be ridiculous for Boris Johnson tojust decide would be ridiculous for Boris Johnson to just decide i cannot go along with the timetable and not even along with the timetable and not eve n a cce pt along with the timetable and not even accept a delay of two or three weeks. That is the other option. When the eu has previously granted delays under theresa may they gave two dates, one if you could get the deal through and if not here is another date. It is possible this time that they could follow a similar pattern with all of that so thatis similar pattern with all of that so that is for later after the second vote if we get to that. Here is the result. Order. Order. The ayes to the right, 329. The noes to the left, 299. The ayes have it. The ayes have it. Order for the Programme Motion to be moved formally. The question is as on the order paper. As many as are of that opinion say aye. Of the contrary, no. Division, cleared the lobby. So to underline the significance of that, 329 to 229, a majority of 30 for the second reading and that is the first time that the house of commons has given its approval to any kind of brexit deal so that is the significance of that moment. And the significance of that moment. And the vote that has just taken place. That majority may well give the government a bit of confidence about the next vote which is the one were at now, which is on the motion to manage the parliamentary timetable to bring the debate down to three days. Vicki young is still with us, and that is now under way but first of all your thoughts on that first vote . Of all your thoughts on that first vote . The government will look at that and say it is a very healthy majority, remember that Boris Johnson since becoming Prime Minister injuly johnson since becoming Prime Minister in july has johnson since becoming Prime Minister injuly has not had much success winning votes in the house of commons. So they will look at this and be pretty pleased, healthy majority of 30. The question now of course is how many of those mps they can hold onto with the more contentious prospect of having a very swift passage for the bill through the house of commons. Many mps are saying theyjust do not think it is going to allow enough scrutiny for such an important piece of legislation and earlier labour mps publicly said that they would back the second reading, but we just had but they would not be prepared to go along with the timetable. They wa nt to go along with the timetable. They want longer to scrutinise such an important of legislation so the groups we will look at for the second vote will be labour mps and also those former conservative mps he will remember were kicked out of the party, 21 of them kicked out because they voted against the government to try to prevent an ideal brexit. Many of them were not voted for the second reading because they want to make sure that there is a brexit deal. But how many are unhappy about rushing it through parliament. So there are once the government is trying to cling onto andi government is trying to cling onto and i think a word about the dup of course, the Democr