The European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill to pave the way for the formal Brexit process to begin under Article 50 of the EU treaties has cleared the House of Commons without being amended.
So what happens next?
The Brexit Bill will now be passed to the House of Lords where the stages – second reading, committee (when substantive amendments can be made) and third reading – are repeated.
The Government could find life more tricky in the upper chamber, where the Bill will be introduced on February 20, because it does not have a majority.
Labour in the Lords has already said while it will examine the Government’s Brexit plans, it will not attempt to block them – although there are some individuals likely to oppose.
The Liberal Democrats, on the other hand, are determined to guarantee a fresh referendum on the final deal, protect single market membership and guarantee the rights of EU citizens in the UK.
The party has 102 peers, compared with 253 Tories, out of a total 805.
If no amendments are made, the Bill should complete its passage through the Lords by March 7, though if peers have requested amendments be made, it will head back to the Commons where MPs will debate to keep the changes or not.
This procedure, known as “ping-pong”, would see the Bill repeatedly move between the Commons and the Lords until an agreement is reached on the final text.
Ping-pong seems the most likely stage for the Bill to be held up, as peers could become emboldened with time running out for the Government to hit its timetable of triggering Article 50 by April.
But members in both Houses will be acutely aware that appearing to frustrate the progress of the Bill would risk accusations that they are going against the will of the people expressed in last year’s referendum.