Deal, no deal chaos

PM changes her mind and agrees to step down after Brexit

EIGHT alternative Brexit options put before the House of Commons in an attempt to break the deadlock over British Prime Minister Theresa May’s own unpopular departure deal with the European Union have all been voted down by MPs.

The options included negotiating for closer economic ties with the EU after Brexit, holding a public vote on any deal, or stopping Brexit altogether.

The strongest support was for a plan to stay in a customs union with the bloc after Brexit, which was defeated by just eight votes: 272-264.

MPs intend to narrow the list of options further and hold more votes on Monday.

If Mrs May’s deal is not ultimately approved, and a new deal is not found by April 12, the nation will crash out of the EU without a deal. Earlier, Mrs May agreed to stand down as prime minister in a final, desperate attempt to get her deal across the line.

Mrs May told her Conservative Party colleagues she would resign after Brexit, which is due on May 22, if the House voted for her deal.

She made the offer to secure the support of her party’s hardline Brexiteers in a third vote on the deal; it has already been rejected twice.

But Speaker John Bercow has ruled she cannot bring her deal back to the House unless it is changed, because the House has already rejected it.

Mrs May said when she survived a leadership challenge in December that she would not be standing at the next election, due in 2022.

Her survival of that challenge gave her a 12-month immunity from further challenge.

But on Wednesday night in London, she advised the party of her intention to stand down after Brexit, allowing another PM to lead the next round of negotiations.

In the event her Brexit deal is passed and she stands down, possible replacements include Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, Sajid Javid and Jeremy Hunt.