Order of amendments and effect of earlier amendments

20.42Each amendment should be proposed in the order in which, if agreed to, it would stand in the amended question.1 When more than one Member rises to move an amendment, the Speaker will give priority to the Member whose amendment is offered at the earliest place.2 If the question has already been proposed upon an amendment, no other amendment to the main question can be moved until the amendment under consideration has been disposed of by being agreed to, negatived or withdrawn. If the amendment is agreed to, no amendment affecting the main question at an earlier point may be moved. If, however, the amendment is rejected or withdrawn, the main question is open to amendment as far back as the last point at which a decision was made on an amendment or, in committee on a bill, to the last decision that a clause stand part of the bill (if no decisions have subsequently been made on amendments). The withdrawal of an amendment is not a decision. Thus, if the last decision was that the amendment be made, the main question would be open to amendment as far back as the point immediately after any words inserted by that amendment, or, in the case of an amendment to leave out words without inserting other words, as far back as the point immediately after the last word left out. If the last decision was against an amendment, the main question would be open to amendment as far back as the point at which the defeated amendment proposed to insert words or, in the case of an amendment to leave out words (with or without the insertion of other words), as far back as the point immediately before the first of the words proposed to be left out.