Brexit in Chaos as “May” Defers the Vote to Seek Reassurances from EU
Just a little more than a day before the vote on Brexit deal in the parliament, Theresa May abruptly deferred the vote to seek more concessions and reassurances from the EU.
It was about 30 hours before the parliament was to vote on the Brexit deal that the British Prime Minister Theresa May postponed the vote to seek more concessions and ”reassurances” from the EU on the Northern Ireland border plan in fear of winning chance in the parliament.
“If we went ahead and held the vote tomorrow, the deal would be rejected by a significant margin,” said May.
However, the European Union refused to renegotiate. “As time is running out, we will also discuss our preparedness for a no-deal scenario,” said European Council President Donald Tusk. Brexit will be discussed at a previously scheduled EU summit on Dec. 13-14.
May refused to say when the vote on her deal would now be held, saying it would depend on how long fresh talks with the EU last. Some MPs called for it to come back to the Commons before Christmas, but May would only say the final deadline for the vote was January 21, which is very close to the Brexit date on March 29.
The parliament also suggested that the Brexit vote should be made again to see if British people still wanted the Brexit or not, but May insisted that the people had already chosen for Brexit, and it was her duty to see it “delivered”.
The delay stirred a lot of controversy in the parliament yesterday, especially for the opposition. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who had been hoping to force a general election if May had lost Tuesday’s planned vote, urged the PM to stand down because her government was now in “chaos” and that the government has “lost control” and was in “complete disarray“.
Both May’s ruling Conservatives and the main opposition Labour Party are publicly committed to carrying out Brexit. But a no-deal Brexit is seen as so disruptive, with customs checks potentially blocking ports and hitting trade, that parliament would be under strong pressure to block it.
The ultimate outcome will shape Britain’s $2.8 trillion economy that could determine whether London can keep its place as one of the top two global financial centers.
“The only way not to have no deal is to have a deal and to agree on a deal,” May said. The parliament will hold an emergency debate on Tuesday on the decision of delaying the vote.