May secures EU help as Brexit vote looms
But concessions might not be enough to prevent defeat in Parliament
LONDON — On the eve of a critical parliamentary vote, Britain’s prime minister, Theresa May, secured new legal pledges from the European Union in a last-minute effort to rescue her unpopular plan for exiting the European Union from a second, potentially terminal, defeat.
But it was unclear that the concessions agreed by the EU negotiators would be enough to prevent another defeat of May’s deal in Parliament on Tuesday — one that could threaten her control over the process, or even her job. The initial reaction of pro-Brexit hard-line lawmakers ranged from critical to cautiously positive.
Even for May, Monday night’s agreement came at the eleventh hour. It ended a day of political confusion, speculation and high-wire negotiation with her European counterparts.
On Monday, after a telephone call with Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, May flew to meet him in Strasbourg, France, where the European Parliament is holding a plenary session.
Back in London, David Lidington, May’s de facto deputy, told Parliament that the prime minister had won a legal pledge to reassure pro-Brexit lawmakers who fear that Britain could be trapped indefinitely inside parts of the European Union’s economic rule book.
The new provisions in a “joint instrument” clarify the temporary nature of the Irish “backstop” provision, which is part of the withdrawal agreement. This provision is designed to prevent a hard border being created between Ireland, which will remain in the European Union, and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom.
Tuesday’s vote is seen as a pivotal moment in the withdrawal saga, coming less than three weeks before the deadline for Britain to leave the European Union. Speaking late Monday Lidington appealed to lawmakers to support May’s deal.
If there is no agreement by March 29, Britain will depart the bloc without any deal. That could mean a brutal economic adjustment.