Brexit deal could soon be put to vote
LONDON: British lawmakers could vote on a revised Brexit deal as soon as next week as negotiators in Brussels scramble to clinch lastminute changes to the divorce accord that would avoid a potentially disorderly exit.
‘‘There may be an opportunity to bring a vote back to the House of Commons — there may be an opportunity, but that will depend on the progress that is made in the next few days,’’ Finance Minister Philip Hammond said.
May has promised to give lawmakers a chance to decide what to do about Brexit on February 27 unless she can bring back a deal.
She pressed for ‘‘legally binding changes’’ at talks with European Commission President JeanClaude Juncker yesterday.
Hammond said the talks ‘‘were good and constructive’’, adding that the two sides were talking about giving some guarantees that the Irish border backstop could only be a ‘‘temporary arrangement’’.
‘‘That is a word that hasn’t been used before and I think that is significant,’’ he said.
May wants to prevent the ‘‘backstop’’ policy on the Irish border binding Britain indefin itely to EU rules.
People close to the negotiations say discussions have been focusing on what May and Juncker in a joint statement called ‘‘appropriate legal assurance to both sides’’.
Brexit minister Steve Barclay is back in Brussels today, along with Attorneygeneral Geoffrey Cox.
The Telegraph newspaper reported yesterday Cox was considering plans for a unilateral exit mechanism to the Irish backstop with a notice period of 12 months.
Some senior British ministers have warned May she must agree to delay Brexit if there is no divorce deal or face a rebellion in Parliament next week, the Sun newspaper reported.
Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd, Justice Secretary David Gauke, Business Secretary Greg Clark and Scotland Secretary David Mundell said she must take ‘‘no deal’’ off the table by extending Article 50, the newspaper said.
They said that if she refused, they and 20 other members of the Government would back Labour lawmaker Yvette Cooper’s plan for Parliament to seize control of the Brexit process. — Reuters