INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:

For the first time this century, MPs sat in the House of Commons on a Saturday to debate it.The new deal replaces the Northern Ireland

backstop with special arrangements for Northern Ireland that will prevent a hard Irish border.There is also a new political declaration,

which sets out proposals for the long-term future relationship between the UK and the EU.A key amendment from MP Sir Oliver Letwin has

passed

It means that any support MPs give to the Brexit deal is withheld until legislation to implement the deal has been passed by MPs and

Lords.Mr Johnson has now - compelled by the so-called Benn Act - sent a letter to the EU to request a three-month delay to Brexit.Leader of

the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg has said the government plans to hold a meaningful vote on Monday

It's not clear whether the Speaker will allow that to go ahead - he could rule it would be out of order.Another option is for the government

to press ahead with legislation to implement the deal next week

That could also remove the need for a separate meaningful vote.The EU will now consider Mr Johnson's letter requesting an extension

He has made it clear that he does not want the extension but was forced legally to ask for it by sending the letter

Mr Johnson chose not to sign the letter and sent a second signed letter indicating that a delay would be a mistake.All 27 EU nations must

agree to an extension

The EU does not have to give an immediate answer.If the EU refuses to grant the UK a delay to Brexit then Parliament has until 31 October to

pass a deal and the associated legislation.The default position is still that the UK will leave the EU on 31 October at 23:00 GMT.And if MPs

vote in favour of the deal, but the subsequent implementation legislation does not pass, the UK would leave without a deal on 31

October.Leaving without a deal (or withdrawal agreement) means the UK would immediately exit the customs union and single market -

arrangements designed to make trade easier.Many politicians and businesses say this would damage the economy

Others say the risks are exaggerated.An early election is widely expected after 31 October when Brexit is currently scheduled to happen

It's unclear, though, whether that would be later this year or early next year.If Brexit is delayed, the House of Commons might be asked

again by the government to back an early general election

That requires a 2/3 majority in the House of Commons and so far MPs have not been prepared to agree.An alternative route for the government

would be a short new law specifying the date of an early general election - this would require only a simple majority and not need

two-thirds of MPs.There is another much more dramatic way - the prime minister could call a vote of no confidence in his own government.At

any point the opposition could call a vote of no confidence in the government

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has previously said he would table such a motion.If more MPs vote for the no-confidence motion than against it,

there would then be a 14-day window to see if the current government - or an alternative one with a new prime minister - could win a vote of

confidence.There could also be another referendum although it would certainly require a Brexit delay and, most likely, a change of

government first.The referendum could have the same legal status as the one in 2016

It would be advisory, and the government would have to decide how to respond once the result was known.An alternative would be to hold a

so-called "confirmatory" referendum

That would be between a particular Brexit deal and remain - or possibly with no deal as an option

The result of this kind of referendum would be legally binding.Either way, the new referendum would require legislation to be held

There would also have to be time for the Electoral Commission to consider the question wording - especially if it's a referendum with more

than two options.Experts at the Constitution Unit at University College London say it would take a minimum of 22 weeks.There is also the

legal option of cancelling Brexit altogether by revoking Article 50.But clearly, this is not something the current government is

contemplating - so it's only really possible to imagine this outcome after a change of government.The Liberal Democrats have said that if

they won a majority in the House of Commons they would revoke Article 50 is the part of the agreement, known as the Lisbon Treaty, which

sets out what happens when a country decides that it wants to leave the European Union (EU).It was triggered by Theresa May on 29 March

2017, starting a two-year countdown to leaving - although this period has now been extended twice.How could Article 50 be revoked?The

European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling last year confirmed that the UK could revoke Article 50 itself, without having to ask the other 27 EU

countries for permission.This could be done by writing a letter to the European Council, made up of EU heads of state.The ECJ said the UK

would then remain a member of the EU on the same terms - as it has now - including keeping its budget rebate (the discount applied to the

UK's contributions to the EU budget).But it did set some conditions.The ruling said revocation should be "unequivocal and unconditional",

suggesting that the UK could not simply revoke Article 50 in order to buy more time and then resubmit it at a later date.A senior lawyer at

the ECJ said that "appropriate legal instruments" could be used if a member state tried to trigger and revoke Article 50 in order to secure

a better withdrawal deal.The court ruled that: "Revocation must be decided following a democratic process in accordance with national

constitutional requirements."The UK government has a power known as the Royal Prerogative, which allows it to do certain things including

deploying armed forces, granting honours and altering international treaties without consulting Parliament.So it is possible in theory that

a prime minister would be able to revoke Article 50 without giving MPs the chance to vote on it.But there are limits to that power, and

those limits have been tested during the course of the Brexit process.When Prime Minister Boris Johnson used the Royal Prerogative to

prorogue Parliament for an extended period, the Supreme Court ruled this use of the power unlawful.Its use to activate the two year Article

50 negotiating period was also challenged by Gina Miller at the beginning of 2017.The Supreme Court ruled in her case that the government

could not trigger the EU exit process without bringing it before Parliament.Because an act of Parliament was required to trigger Article 50,

it has been suggested revoking it would also need parliamentary approval.The weight of legal opinion is that a law would have to be passed

to allow the government to revoke Article 50, although some lawyers believe a letter from the prime minister would do.That's if a prime

minister were to make the decision - but what if Parliament wanted to force their hand?They could potentially do this by taking control of

Parliamentary business, as has happened on two occasions in the Brexit process - both times to compel the prime minister to seek an

extension and stop a no-deal Brexit.In the same way, if there were a majority to do so, MPs might be able to instruct a prime minister to

revoke Article 50.Brexit: What is in Boris Johnson's new deal with the EU?By Reality Check teamBBC News17 October 2019Share this with

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revised Brexit deal has been agreed by the UK and EU

What is in it? All sides want to avoid the return of a "hard border" between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland after Brexit -

with checks and infrastructure which could be targeted by paramilitary groups. Coming up with solutions to this - acceptable to all sides -

has been very challenging. The new protocol replaces the controversial Irish backstop plan in Theresa May's deal

Much of the rest of that deal will remain. Here are some of the key new parts: CustomsThe whole of the UK will leave the EU customs union

This means the UK will be able to strike trade deals with other countries in the future. There will be a legal customs border between

Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (which stays in the EU)

But in practice the customs border will be between Great Britain and the island of Ireland, with goods being checked at "points of entry" in

Northern Ireland. Duty (tax) won't automatically have to be paid on goods coming into Northern Ireland from Great Britain. But where

something is "at risk" of then being transported into the Republic of Ireland (which is part of the EU customs union), duty will be paid. A

joint committee made up of UK and EU representatives will decide at a later date what goods are considered "at risk". It might be that duty

is paid on goods that do not end up being sent on from Northern Ireland into the EU

The UK would be responsible for whether to refund the duty in these circumstances. Ordinary people won't have their baggage checked and

duty won't apply to individuals sending goods to other people. There will also be limits agreed by the joint committee on the amount of

help the government can give to Northern Irish farmers

The figure will be based on the amount they currently receive from the EU's Common Agricultural Policy. Brexit: EU and UK reach deal but

DUP refuse supportBrexit deal: What does it mean?Brexit: What happens now?Have UK voters changed their minds on Brexit?Regulations on

goodsWhen it comes to the regulation of goods, Northern Ireland would keep to the rules of the EU's single market, rather than UK

rules. That removes the need for product standard and safety checks on goods at the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, because

both will be part of an "all-island regulatory zone". But it adds to the checks between the rest of the UK - which will not be sticking to

EU single market rules - and Northern Ireland. Enforcing the rulesThis will be done by UK officials at "points of entry into" Northern

Ireland, but the EU will have the right to have its own officials present. It seems those EU officials may be able to overrule UK officials

"Where the Union representative requests the authorities of the United Kingdom to carry out control measures in individual cases for duly

stated reasons, the authorities of the United Kingdom shall carry out those control measures." Northern Ireland's sayBecause Northern

Ireland will be set apart from the rest of the UK when it comes to customs and other EU rules, the deal gives its Assembly a vote on these

provisions. But this vote would not happen until four years after the end of the transition period that is due to run until the end of 2020

- so no earlier than January 2025. If the Northern Irish Assembly votes against the provisions, they would lose force two years later

during which time the "joint committee" would make recommendations to the UK and EU on "necessary measures". If the Assembly accepts the

continuing provisions by a simple majority, they will then apply for another four years

If the deal has "cross-community support" then they will apply for eight years, or until a new agreement on the future relationship is

reached if that comes sooner. The deal defines cross-community support as more than 50% each of unionist and nationalist Assembly members

voting in favour, or at least 40% of members from each designation if in total at least 60% of members have voted in favour. The UK

government has said that if the Northern Ireland Assembly is still not sitting at that point, it will make alternative arrangements to make

sure a vote can take place. VATThe new agreement says that EU law on value added tax (VAT - a tax added when you make purchases) will apply

in Northern Ireland, but only on goods, not services. But it also allows Northern Ireland to have different VAT rates to the rest of the

UK, which would not normally be allowed under EU law. For example, if the UK decided to reduce the VAT on household fuel to zero, Northern

Ireland would still have to keep it at 5%, which is the EU minimum. It also means that Northern Ireland may get the same VAT rates on

certain goods as the Republic of Ireland, to stop there being an unfair advantage on either side of the border. Some things have not

changed:Much of Mrs May's original Brexit deal will remain as part of the overall agreement

Some of the key areas are: TransitionThe transition - a period of time during which all of the current rules stay the same allowing the UK

and the EU to negotiate their future relationship - is due to last until the end of December 2020. The UK will need to abide by EU rules

and pay into the EU budget, but will lose membership of its institutions. The transition can be extended, but only for a period of one or

two years. Both the UK and EU must agree to any extension. Citizens' rightsUK citizens in the EU, and EU citizens in the UK, will retain

their residency and social security rights after Brexit. Freedom of movement rules will continue to apply during transition

This means that UK nationals will be able to live and work in EU countries (and EU nationals will be able to live and work in UK) during

this period. Anyone who remains in the same EU country for five years will be allowed to apply for permanent residence. MoneyThe UK will

have to settle its financial obligations to the EU. There is no precise figure but the biggest part of this "divorce bill" will be the UK

contributions to the 2019 and 2020 EU budgets. As Brexit was delayed from 29 March to 31 October 2019, some of that money has been paid as

part of the UK's normal membership contributions already

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimates that the bill is now around £33bn (down from £39bn). The OBR expects that most of

the money - around three-quarters of the total - would be paid by 2022, with some relatively small payments still being made in the

2060s. Brexit: Does the UK owe the EU £39bn?Future UK/EU relationshipThis is addressed in the political declaration

This text, which is not legally binding, has also been revised by UK/EU negotiators. It says that both sides will work towards a Free Trade

Agreement (FTA) and a high-level meeting will be convened in June 2020 to take stock of progress towards this goal. The text also contains

a new paragraph on the so-called "level playing field" - the degree to which the UK will agree to stick closely to EU regulations in the

future. While the references to a "level playing field" were removed from the legally binding withdrawal agreement, the revised political

declaration says that the UK and the EU should "uphold the common high standards […] in the areas of state aid, competition, social and

employment standards, environment, climate change, and relevant tax matters".