Second Time Lucky? Theresa May Brings New Deal to UK Parliament
The first meaningful vote on 15 January 2019 (already delayed from December) was on the terms of United Kingdom’s messy divorce from the European Union (EU). The deal UK PM Theresa May put to Parliament then was defeated by 230 votes, in the biggest government defeat in history.
On 11 March 2019, in an 11th hour rush before the second vote on 12 March, May took her new terms to EU lawmakers, and struck what she hopes will be a more agreeable deal to the UK Parliament. These new terms, she says, are “legally binding” and will give legal assurance to MPs that the ‘Irish backstop’ will not be permanent.
Britain exits the EU on the 29th with or without a deal, but a no-deal Brexit is widely feared to cause havoc in the British system. The vote will be held on Tuesday evening, after a day-long debate in Parliament.
(With inputs from AP)
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UK Parliament Rejects Theresa May’s Brexit Deal for a Third Time
Britain’s government rejected Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal on Friday, 29 March, for a third time. The House of Commons voted 286-344 against the withdrawal agreement struck between May and the EU.
It follows defeats by even wider margins in January and March, and leaves the government's blueprint for exiting the bloc in tatters.
UK Govt Plans Third Brexit Deal Vote on Friday
Britain's government said it intended to hold a third parliamentary vote on Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal on Friday but was awaiting the go-ahead from House of Commons speaker.
“We recognise that any motion brought forward tomorrow will need to be compliant with the speaker's ruling and that discussion is ongoing,” Andrea Leadsom, who represents the government in parliament, told MPs.
“A motion will be tabled just as soon as possible and obviously by later today,” Leadsom said Thursday.
No Brexit alternative Gets Parliament Majority
British lawmakers have voted on eight different possible Brexit options, but none received the majority support that would clarify the UK's course, news agency AP reported.
Parliament is trying to find an alternative to Prime Minister Theresa May's twice-rejected EU divorce deal. The strongest support was for a plan to stay in a customs union with the bloc after Brexit, which was defeated by eight votes: 272-264.
UK MPs Take Charge of Parliament for Historic Brexit Debate
In a parliamentary first for the UK, MPs took charge of the House of Commons business on Wednesday for a historic debate on the kind of Brexit that could command a majority to try and find a solution to the current deadlock over Britain's exit from the European Union, reported news agency PTI.
In a major blow to Theresa May, MPs had voted through the debate earlier this week to seize control of the business of the House away from the government and set a new precedent in order to weigh up alternatives to the British Prime Minister's twice-defeated EU divorce bill through a set of "indicative" non-binding votes.
She faced further humiliation on Wednesday as the MPs' motion passed with 331 to 287 votes – a majority of 44 – setting the stage for votes on a series of Brexit alternatives later in the day.
The EU has given May until 12 April to propose a different way forward if her divorce bill does not clear the UK Parliament hurdle.