The previous question is a form of dilatory motion, which is moved to prevent the House from taking a decision on the matter currently being debated.
To move the previous question you need to say, ‘I beg to move that the question be not now put”. You can move the previous question at any time during a debate, but you must already be speaking at the time—you can’t interrupt another MP to move the previous question.
The motion on the previous question can be debated, however the Speaker may refuse to propose the question or put it forthwith if in his view the attempt to move it is an abuse of the rules of the House.
If the motion on the previous question is agreed, the debate that it interrupted ends without a decision and the House moves on to the next item on the Order Paper.
If the motion isn’t agreed, the original question that was being considered when the debate was interrupted must immediately be put to a decision.
The previous question can’t be moved in general committees, such as public bill committees, or in a Committee of the whole House or Legislative Grand Committee.