May agrees to concession on date for Brexit
Prime Minister Theresa May was forced into a concession over plans to put the date of Brexit into law after Conservative rebels threatened to inflict another defeat on the EU (Withdrawal) Bill.
After insisting that the UK’S 29 March, 2019 departure from the EU would be written into the bill, the government yesterday accepted an amendment that allows MPS to alter the date – but Mrs May promised this would only be used in “extremely exceptional circumstances”.
At Prime Minister’s Questions, Mrs May faced complaints from Tory Brexiteers, with backbencher Julian Lewis calling for assurances that the UK’S exit date would be shifted “only for a very short period”.
However, the concession was expected to ensure the Withdrawal Bill cleared the main amendment stage last night without any further changes, following an embarrassing defeat earlier this month that guarantees MPS will get a “meaningful vote” on the final Brexit deal late next year.
Mrs May said she believes the UK can agree a full trade agreement with Brussels before Brexit day, despite there being just 15 months until the country’s EU exit.