10:58

The former attorney general Dominic Grieve has put forward his motion to allow backbenchers to table different Brexit motions for debate six full days before the UK leaves the EU – 12 and 26 February and 5, 12, 19 and 26 March. You can read it on the order paper (pdf), on page 51.

That would give MPs time in the House of Commons to debate ideas such as a customs union, Labour’s own Brexit plan, a second referendum, no deal and the Norway model. Motions would be amendable and would have political force.

Grieve has removed the most controversial aspect of his amendment from one of the leaked drafts, which would have allowed a motion put forward by a minority of 300 MPs from at least five parties – including 10 Tory MPs – to be debated as the first item for MPs in the Commons the next day.

Instead, the motion now just allocates specific days for debate - and the dates have been chosen carefully so they will not clash with the days specified by Labour MP Yvette Cooper and the Tory Nick Boles who are making a separate attempt to pass a bill which would mandate an article 50 extension in the event of no deal.

Grieve said his amendment was aimed at facilitating wider debate in the Commons on different options for Brexit, similar to a plan for “indicative votes” that has been floated by several cabinet ministers, such as like the business secretary, Greg Clark, and the education secretary, Damian Hinds.

The six days specified by Grieve could in theory be used to pass primary legislation - but Grieve said that would be difficult in practice and he did not envisage that would happen.

Any bill that required government spending like calling a new referendum would need a “money resolution” which needs government backing. Grieve told the Guardian he thought that was a constitutional change too far.