This week, Beaconsfield MP Dominic Grieve writes exclusively to Bucks Free Press readers:

March is here and with it the date of Friday, March 29, which has been circled on calendars since the Government triggered Article 50 to commence the Brexit process.

Last week, the Prime Minister set out her statement to Parliament about the steps to be gone through during the month of March.

First, there will be a second Meaningful Vote in Parliament, at the latest by Tuesday 12 March.

At this point I must apologise if this stage has already happened by the time that this article is in print in the Bucks Free Press!

Stage two – if the Government has not won a Meaningful Vote – is the tabling of a motion to be voted on in Parliament by Wednesday 13 March at the latest, asking the House of Commons whether it supports leaving the EU without a Withdrawal Agreement and a framework for the future relationship.

Leaving without a deal – which I personally think would be damaging and which we cannot afford to let happen – would only occur if the House of Commons expresses explicit consent for this course of action.

I cannot, and will not, support such an action.

The third phase would therefore be the consequence of the House rejecting the deal negotiated with the EU and then voting against leaving without a deal in place.

This would mean a vote on 14 March and the Government would bring forward a motion on whether Parliament wants to seek a short, limited extension to Article 50. I would support this.

I remain of the view that if we cannot reach agreement on a deal we must examine the possibility of a second referendum.

This would allow the public to approve any deal that has not been negotiated with an alternative of remaining in the EU.