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The Speaker of the House rejected an amendment to Theresa May's Brexit deal, tabled by Andrew Murrison, which would have put a time limit on the Irish backstop. It would have given the Prime Minister "elbow room to go back to Brussels", according to Conservative backbencher Hugo Swire. John Bercow also blocked a similar amendment by Mr Swire, which would have provided safeguards around the backstop, including a "duty" on the Government to ensure it is replaced by other arrangements within a year.


Instead Mr Bercow selected four amendments selected for debate Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, SNP's Ian Blackford, Tory MP Sir Edward Leigh and Tory MP John Barron. Labour's bid to reject Mrs May's deal and "pursue every option" to prevent the UK leaving the EU with no deal and the SNP's call to reject the Brexit deal, as it calls on the UK Government to "respect the will" of the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly in rejecting the Brexit deal will be debated. While, Conservative former minister Sir Edward's proposal noting the Irish border backstop is temporary and calls for the UK Government to give notice on January 1 2022 that it will terminate the Withdrawal Treaty if it becomes clear that the EU will not agree to remove the backstop was also selected. READ MORE: BREXIT LIVE

And an amendment tabled by Tory MP John Baron, which sought to give the UK the right to terminate the Irish border backstop without the agreement of the EU, was also listed by Mr Bercow. Opening the final day of debate before tonight's crunch vote, the Attorney General urged MPs to back the Prime Minister's Brexit deal because the Commons needs to come to a "consensus". Geoffrey Cox accused MPs of "playing with people's lives" and revealed he was backing the Withdrawal Agreement for "wholly pragmatic reasons. Mr Cox told MPs their choice was between order and chaos as he advised them to not underestimate the legal complexity of leaving the EU after 45 years and warned of the legal uncertainty risked by no-deal.


Brexit news: Theresa May is preparing for defeat in the House of Commons tonight

He said: "If you were a litigant in a court, if you were dependent upon having concluded a contract on the basis of EU law and you found yourself suddenly with the rug pulled from under you, not knowing what your legal obligations would be, you would say to this House 'What are you playing at? What are you doing? You are not children in the playground, you are legislators' - we are playing with people's lives." It comes after Mr Bercow made the unprecedented step to allow Remainer MPs a vote to corner the Prime Minister if she fails to get her Brexit deal through Parliament last week. A cross-party group of anti-no deal Brexit MPs want to force Mrs May’s hand by making her come back to Parliament with a Brexit Plan B just three days after losing the vote, should she fail to get her deal through Parliament. It will cut the Prime Minister’s breathing space from 21 days plus seven sitting days which she is currently relying on to conjure a back-up option.

Brexit news: MPs will vote on Theresa May's exit deal at 7pm