As they prepared for yesterday's Brexit votes, a group of MPs in the House of Commons filed an Early Day Motion on a rather different topic: "Trial of Catalan politicians". In the motion, they express their "concern about the imminent trial of 18 Catalan politicians and civic leaders regarding their role in the 2017 independence referendum".

The text also questions the charges they face of rebellion and sedition, "charges long removed from the statute book in other European democracies". They go on to note that former speaker of the Catalan Parliament Carme Forcadell "is being prosecuted for allowing a debate on independence, something supported by a majority of MPs".

Among the other points of the motion, it notes that Amnesty International will monitor the trial and has called for the release of Jordi Sànchez and Jordi Cuixart. It also expresses concern that some of the judges who will hear the case are "politically appointed" and some "are on record as opposing Catalan autonomy".

It concludes by calling on the government to "condemn this case, which does not cast Spanish democracy in a good light".

The motion's supporters include MPs from Plaid Cymru, the Scottish National Party, Labour and the Conservatives, as well as an Independent.