Brexit bedlam: Parliament sinks May's divorce deal

Theresa May says parliament has spoken and the government has listened. Photo: Reuters
Theresa May says parliament has spoken and the government has listened. Photo: Reuters
British lawmakers have defeated Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit divorce deal by a crushing margin, triggering political upheaval that could lead to a disorderly exit from the European Union or even to a reversal of the 2016 decision to leave.

Parliament voted 432-202 against her deal on Tuesday night (local time), the worst parliamentary defeat for a government in recent British history.  More than 100 of her own lawmakers - both Brexiteers and supporters of EU membership - joined forces to vote down the deal.

May said she would reach out to opposition parties to forge a way ahead. But across the British political spectrum, opponents of her deal said it was dead.

Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn promptly called a vote of no confidence in May's government, to be held within 24 hours.

"After two years of failed negotiations, the House of Commons has delivered its verdict on her Brexit deal, and that verdict is absolutely decisive," Corbyn said. "Her governing principle of delay and denial has reached the end of the line."

With the clock ticking down to March 29, the date set in law for Brexit, the United Kingdom is now ensnared in the deepest political crisis in half a century as it grapples with how, or even whether, to exit the European project that it joined in 1973.

May's humiliating loss, the first British parliamentary defeat of a treaty since 1864, marks the collapse of her two-year strategy of forging an amicable divorce with close ties to the EU after the March 29 exit.

She said parliament had spoken and the government had listened. 

"It is clear that the House does not support this deal, but tonight's vote tells us nothing about what it does support," May told parliament, moments after the result was announced. "... nothing about how - or even if - it intends to honour the decision the British people took in a referendum parliament decided to hold."

May's spokesman told reporters that her deal could still form the basis of an agreement with the EU, but opponents disagreed.

"The withdrawal agreement is now dead," David Jones, a Conservative pro-Brexit former minister, told Reuters.

"The EU will see that it must now offer better terms to the UK. If it does not, we must leave to trade on WTO terms."If there was any consolation for May, it was that her internal adversaries appeared ready to fight off the attempt to topple her.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon believed May should  suspend the Brexit process and hold another referendum.

"We can't waste time any longer. Now is the time to stop the Article 50 clock... legislation should be brought forward to take this issue back to the electorate," Sturgeon told the BBC. 

The European Union said the Brexit deal remained the best and only way to ensure an orderly withdrawal. 

NORTHERN IRELAND

The small Northern Irish DUP party, which props up her minority government and had said it would oppose the deal, said it would still back May in the no confidence vote.

The EU said the Brexit deal remained the best and only way to ensure an orderly withdrawal from the EU.

“The Brexit deal is basically dead,” said Anand Menon, professor of European politics and foreign affairs at King’s College London.

Protesters outside the Houses of Parliament in London celebrate the result. Photo: Reuters
Protesters outside the Houses of Parliament in London celebrate the result. Photo: Reuters

CROSSROADS

Ever since Britain voted by 52-48% to leave the EU in a referendum in June 2016, the political class has been debating how to leave the European project forged by France and Germany after the devastation of World War 2.

While the country is divided over EU membership, most agree that the world's fifth largest economy is at a crossroads and that its choices over Brexit will shape the prosperity of future generations.

Before the vote, May had warned pro-Brexit lawmakers that if her plan was rejected, it was more likely that Britain would not leave the EU at all than that it would leave without a deal. She has also warned fellow Conservatives not to let the opposition Labour Party seize control of Brexit.

Supporters of EU membership cast Brexit as a gigantic mistake that will undermine the West, smash Britain's reputation as a stable destination for investment and slowly weaken London's position as a global capital.

Many opponents of Brexit hope May's defeat will ultimately lead to another referendum on EU membership, though Brexiteers say that thwarting the will of the 17.4 million who voted for Brexit could radicalise much of the electorate.

Brexit supporters cast leaving as a way to break free from a Union they see as overly bureaucratic and fast falling behind the leading economic powers of the 21st century, the United States and China.

A packed House of Commons for the vote. Photo: Reuters
A packed House of Commons for the vote. Photo: Reuters

CONFIDENCE VOTE

British lawmakers will vote on Wednesday whether they have confidence in Theresa May's government.

HOW DOES THE PROCESS WORK?

The opposition Labour Party, backed by other smaller opposition parties, has put forward a motion which states "That this House has no confidence in Her Majesty's Government."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will open the debate on the motion about 1pm on Wednesday (GMT). May will also speak in the debate and it will last until 7pm.

Lawmakers will then vote on the motion,  with the result due about 7.15pm.

There are 650 lawmakers in the House of Commons. May's government needs 318 votes to win the vote, as seven members of the Irish nationalist Sinn Fein party do not sit, four speakers do not vote and four lawmakers who help count votes, known as tellers, are not counted.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE GOVERNMENT WINS?

The government continues in office. However, there are no restrictions on how soon another confidence vote can be called, so Labour could put forward another no confidence motion at any point.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE GOVERNMENT LOSES?

May does not have to resign. A 14-day period is triggered in which any party, including May's Conservatives, can seek to form a government. To do this they would have to win a confidence vote in the House of Commons.

If a new government cannot be formed within 14 days, an election is triggered.

WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF MAY LOSING?

May does not have an outright majority in parliament but the DUP, the small Northern Irish party that props up her government, has said it will support the government. So May would only lose if enough of her own Conservative members voted against the government.

 

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