1 August 2019updated 07 Jun 2021 4:07pm

What will day one of a no-deal Brexit look like?

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 16: A general view of the Elizabeth Tower, commonly known as Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament on January 16, 2019 in London, England. The government suffered a historic defeat in the House of Commons last night as MPs voted 432 to 202 to reject Theresa May's Brexit Deal. Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn immediately tabled a motion of no confidence in the government that will be debated and voted on later today. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)

One of the questions I’ve been asking every European diplomat, policy wonk and British civil servant I can lately is: what happens if we leave the European Union on 31 October, a Thursday, and Parliament votes to accept the withdrawal agreement on the Friday? Or indeed the following Monday? What do the first 48 hours of a no-deal Brexit look like?

The reason why I think this question is important is because essentially, while a large majority of MPs oppose no deal, there is no majority in Parliament as of right now to do either of the things that could prevent it: to pass the withdrawal agreement as negotiated by Theresa May into law, or to revoke Article 50.