Now that the Speaker has selected the motions to be voted on later, it's a good time to over the pros and cons of each.

No deal

This is in some respects the simplest option, but in other respects will cause the biggest headache. In a no-deal scenario, the UK would immediately fall out of all EU institutions and trade according to World Trade Organization terms. It would likely lead to difficulties getting food and medicine into the UK from outside and will make travelling in and out of the country complicated.

Common Market 2.0

This is the too-clever-by-half plan, dreamed up by Labour and Conservative MPs. It would give the UK access to the EU's Single Market via the European Free Trade Association, but the country would remain outside the Customs Union. This is clever because it avoids a hit to the services industry, allows the UK to trade with European nations while retaining control of its international trade policy.

The problem is, it doesn't provide a sufficient answer to the Irish border question. While the plan says that a customs arrangement could resolve this issue, such an agreement is unprecedented among EFTA members. That could make the plan a non-starter.

EFTA and EEA

This plan is not a million miles from the Common Market 2.0 approach, but rules out any customs union with the EU. That means it also doesn't satisfy the Ireland question. The plan claims that there could be some kind of alternative arrangement to the Irish backstop – the insurance policy that prevents the return of border posts in Ireland. But the backstop is part of the Withdrawal Agreement which, as we know, is a closed matter for the EU.

Labour's alternative plan

The main opposition Labour Party's plan for Brexit is somewhat confuse and light on detail. It calls for the UK to be closely aligned with the EU on matters such as the Single Market and says that the UK must keep up to speed with workers' rights.

Crucially, it supports a permanent customs union in which the UK has "an appropriate say on any new trade deal terms."

The appropriate amount of say any third party has had over new trade deals has been zero to date, so this might be little more than wishful thinking.

Revoking Article 50

As controversial as no deal, revoking Article 50 – the legal process by which Brexit is happening – could cause serious domestic problems for the UK. The vote to leave the EU was the largest electoral turnout in British history. Overturning that is a decision not to be taken lightly.

Confirmatory public vote

This looks like a fudge. The plan says that the UK cannot ratify any Brexit deal "unless and until they have been approved by the people of the UK in a confirmatory public ballot."

It doesn't mention remaining in the EU, which leaves this plan open to interpretation. No wonder a party with no coherent policy has instructed its MPs to back it.

Contingent preferential arrangements

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