While we’re tracking the approach of the British Parliament’s coming vote on Brexit, we enlisted Ellen Barry, our London-based chief international correspondent, to take over the top of your daily briefing. Let us know what you think.

Good morning.

The British Parliament is scheduled to vote on the government’s Brexit agreement tomorrow. So the practical-minded people of this green and pleasant isle have sorted it all out, right?

Er, no.

Let us review the events of the weekend.

On Sunday, thousands of angry right-wing Brexiteers thronged down Parliament Street behind the anti-Muslim polemicist Tommy Robinson, who is so far to the right that Nigel Farage, the ideological father of Brexit, called him a “thug.”

They do not like Prime Minister Theresa May’s deal.

One man trundled along a 10-foot scaffold and hangman’s noose, telling a reporter, “That’s what the traitor May deserves.” A few blocks away, there was an even larger march of left-wingers upset about the right-wingers, carrying a banner that read “Smash fascism.”

All indications are that Mrs. May is headed for a thumping loss on Tuesday, with more than 100 of her own party members promising to vote against the deal. Some of her advisers are urging her to postpone the showdown. A heavy loss would thrust Britain into uncharted territory, with disparate possible outcomes: Mrs. May’s removal, a general election, a second referendum, or an economically jarring “no-deal” exit from the E.U. on March 29.

When we asked our designer, Allison McCann, to lay out these possibilities in graphic form, she returned several days later with sketches of a decision tree gone wild.

Over the weekend, Mrs. May offered a rare glimpse into her inner life, telling The Daily Mail that in moments of stress, she sometimes eats peanut butter straight from the jar, though she hastened to add that she doesn’t “spend the entire day doing it.”

Depending on what happens this week, historians will begin to situate Mrs. May on the continuum of British leaders, somewhere between Anthony Eden (worst) and Winston Churchill (best). In my latest article, I submit the following: Mrs. May made a genuine effort to lead her fractured country to a compromise, but she did it too late. By devoting her early months in office to reassuring the hard-Brexit faction of her party that she was one of them, she sacrificed a chance to build trust with moderates.

“It’s not enough to turn around after two and a half years and say, ‘I’m a unifier,’” said Ian Dunt, the author of “Brexit: What the Hell Happens Now?”

The situation provides the perfect opening for the leader of the opposition, Jeremy Corbyn, to step in with moral guidance, right? Not exactly.

My colleague Stephen Castle describes Mr. Corbyn’s pathological ducking and weaving on the most momentous issue facing the country. The reason is obvious enough: Mr. Corbyn, shaped by his years on the far left, always liked the idea of leaving the E.U., but a majority of Labour voters want to remain.

After Parliament votes on Mrs. May’s withdrawal agreement, Mr. Corbyn’s time for prevarication will run out. Steve Fielding, a political historian, bets he would back a second referendum.

“If it comes to it, he will support it,” he said. “Because, by that point, he is out of options and to say ‘no’ is almost impossible.” And so, readers, onward to Tuesday’s vote. Pass me the peanut butter, and a spoon.

See you tomorrow. — Ellen

How the Saudi crown prince wooed Jared Kushner

In the early months of the Trump administration, Mr. Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and Middle East adviser, had private, informal conversations with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, according to three former senior American officials, who worry that Mr. Kushner has opened himself to manipulation. Above, Prince Mohammed with Mr. Kushner and Ivanka Trump in Riyadh last year.

Despite resistance from senior American officials, the exchanges continued even after Oct. 2, when the dissident Jamal Khashoggi was killed and dismembered at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Since the murder, Mr. Kushner has been the prince’s most important defender in the White House.

The prince long cultivated ties with Mr. Kushner, according to documents, text messages and emails reviewed by The Times. The evidence shows that, as early as the month Mr. Trump was elected president, a delegation close to the prince identified Mr. Kushner as the ideal insider, because he had little knowledge of the region, a transactional mind-set and an intense focus on reaching an Israel-Palestinian deal.

Here’s what else is happening

Investigating the Trump Organization: Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are examining what executives of the Trump family business knew about criminal payments by Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former personal lawyer, to silence two women who say they had affairs with Mr. Trump. Meanwhile, Nick Ayers, an aide to Vice President Mike Pence who had been the focus of President Trump’s search to replace John F. Kelly as chief of staff, won’t take the job and said he would soon leave the White House.

France in convulsion: President Emmanuel Macron will give a televised address and hold meetings in a search for solutions to exploding anger over economic hardship, after a fourth weekend of raucous antigovernment protests in Paris by the so-called Yellow Vests. Nearly 2,000 people nationwide were taken into custody, and copycat demonstrations have sprung up in the Netherlands, Hungary and Belgium. Above, a demonstrator in Paris.

German political shift: The Christian Democrats chose Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer to take up the leadership position that Chancellor Angela Merkel is leaving. Like Ms. Merkel, she is a moderate centrist with a wry sense of humor.

Belgium’s government weakens: The right-wing Flemish party left the country’s governing coalition in opposition to the planned signing this month of a U.N. agreement on migration, depriving the coalition of its parliamentary majority and leaving its legitimacy uncertain.

Murder charge in New Zealand: The man accused of murdering a British backpacker in New Zealand made his first appearance in court.

Recovering loot: A $250 million megayacht with a movie theater is among the extravagances that the U.S. has tracked down and taken away from a fugitive Malaysian financier named Jho Low, who prosecutors say helped siphon billions of dollars from a Malaysian government investment fund, then went on an spending spree. (Above, a selection of his big-ticket items.) Mr. Low is contesting some of the forfeitures, and a $27.3 million diamond necklace is missing. Also, we looked at how much its involvement in the scandal could cost Goldman Sachs.

Stomach-churning swings on Wall Street: For the U.S. stock market, the political and economic outlooks have suddenly darkened, and more volatility could be in store this week.

Helping local news survive: In an unusual effort to revive shrinking coverage of local government, smaller news publishers in Britain can get a share of the BBC’s license fee, the annual charge paid by every household with a television.

Pigeon relocation: The Spanish city of Cádiz is taking on the ambitious task of relocating 5,000 pigeons to the countryside. The mission was initiated after a complaint that the birds were driving away tourists.

Smarter Living

Tips for a more fulfilling life.

Recipe of the day: Looking for homey comfort food? Make one-pot rice and beans for dinner.

Here’s how to pamper yourself with five cheap-ish things.

Stress is ever-present. Fortunately, there’s yoga.

Back Story

This evening in Stockholm, Nobel laureates will feast on a banquet with Swedish royalty after receiving their Nobel Prizes. It’s one of many traditions associated with the 117-year-old honors.

But another — in which laureates are awoken at the Grand Hotel Stockholm by girls in white carrying candles — may be fading into history.

The ceremony reflects an annual Swedish custom honoring St. Lucia, who represents the triumph of light over darkness. Above, the chemistry Nobel laureate William Knowles receiving the Queen of Lights in 2001.

But a manager at the hotel said that this year’s edition had been canceled “due to fire risk” in the laureates’ rooms. A version will still take place in the lobby and one of the hotel’s restaurants.

Not every Nobel laureate has enjoyed the wake-up call.

When white-clad maidens came to the American novelist Saul Bellow in 1976, for example, he was irritated.

“I scowled, and then my face formed the smile which is obligatory on such occasions,” he later told a biographer.

Mike Ives, a reporter in our Hong Kong office, wrote today’s Back Story. Penn Bullock helped write today’s briefing.

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Ellen Barry is the chief international correspondent for The Times and is based in London. She was previously the South Asia bureau chief and, before that, the bureau chief in Moscow. In 2011, she won a Pulitzer Prize for reporting on Russia’s justice system. @EllenBarryNYT

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