DELAYED DECISION
What happens next? Snap election possible, as is another referendum
May puts off vote, throwing process into disarray,
LONDON— Facing the prospect of a humiliating defeat, Prime Minister Theresa May said Monday that she would seek to postpone a parliamentary vote on her proposal for Britain’s departure from the European Union, throwing the process into disarray and highlighting her tenuous hold on power.
Parliament had been scheduled to vote Tuesday on the agreement that May reached with the bloc for Britain’s withdrawal, or Brexit — a critical moment in her political career and in the battle over an issue that has gripped British politics for nearly three years.
But weeks of bitter criticism and days of parliamentary debate had left no doubt that the plan would be soundly rejected by lawmakers, due in large part to objections over plans for dealing with the Irish border that pro-Brexit lawmakers say could potentially leave the United Kingdom tied to some of the bloc’s rules indefinitely.
“If we went ahead and held the vote tomorrow, the deal would be defeated by a significant margin,” May said in Parliament Monday. “We will therefore defer the vote scheduled for tomorrow and not proceed to divide the house at this time.”
Although the prime minister appears to have the authority to unilaterally postpone the vote, there was opposition to such a move, adding yet another layer of unanswered questions to a process already steeped in uncertainty. Some opponents of the deal were eager to stick to the schedule and deliver a resounding defeat to the bill and to May.
The British pound lost about 1per cent of its value against the euro and the U.S. dollar, falling to its lowest level in more than a year and a half.
May said the obstacle to par- liamentary approval was disagreement over the status of Northern Ireland, which could remain more closely tied to the European Union than the rest of the country.
EU officials have insisted that the deal represents their final offer and that the only alternative is for Britain to leave the bloc on March 29 without an agreement in place — an abrupt and chaotic prospect that officials on both sides of the Channel predict would be economically damaging.
What will happen next with May’s government is uncertain. Lawmakers have floated an array of possibilities, including a renewed effort to have Parliament approve her plan, an attempt within her own Conservative Party to topple her, a Labour call for a vote of no confidence, a snap general election, and a second referendum on whether to leave the bloc.
The effort to postpone the vote came hours after the EU’s highest court ruled Britain could cancel its decision to leave the bloc and remain a member under current terms.