Questions had been asked inside & outside the house about the legality of holding another vote on a motion that had been massively defeated twice. After consulting with the clerks and legal/constitutional experts the Speaker stood up to announce that the government couldn't keep putting the same motion to a vote.
This is a principle that goes back to 1604and is codified in Parliament's "handbook", Erskine May.*
The bar was set at being a substantially different bill (not just changing a few words and going from Comic Sans to Helvetica).
Cue uproar! Cries of 'destroying the constitution' & 'enemy of the people' etc.
No 10 were said to be blind-sided as he'd not told them. He probably had but such is May's contempt for the House she would have ignored it. In any case, he doesn't have to warn them.
Both the Remain & Leave side seemed to be very happy about the judgement. There were some wonderfully ironic POO though: James Cleverly pretty much said that if MPs had known that MV2 was the last one they might have acted differently because they didn't have the information!
Where this leaves the UK, apart from an international laughing stock, is anybody's guess.
The #Breshitters initially thought it would mean that their holy #NoDeal would become reality. Until it was pointed out that this was specifically ruled out in vote last Wednesday.
The Remainers initially thought that it would make a 2nd referendum (also ruled out) or revocation more likely.
The current feeling is that the Government will have to beg the EU for an extension to article 50. The length of time is currently being debated but** it looks like a long extension with the option to shorten it if the extension is deemed to make the motion different enough.
* I believe that, interestingly, the rulebook, Erskine May, was published in 1844 by the great, great, grandfather of Theresa's husband Phillip. Erskine May, later the 1st Baron Farnborough, was Clerk of the House of Commons.
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