Brit PM may let Parliament decide
LONDON — British Prime Minister Theresa May said Thursday she may give Parliament a greater role in implementing her controversial Brexit deal as she sought to rescue the agreement from a widely expected defeat.
May’s efforts to win support came as British newspapers reported that the House of Commons could reject her divorce deal with the European Union by more than 100 votes when they vote on it Tuesday.
Lawmakers opened a third day of debate on the agreement Thursday, focusing on economic issues that could affect Britons for generations.
May’s comments focused on the so-called backstop, which could keep the U.K. in a customs union with the EU if the two sides can’t agree on another way to prevent a hard border between
Northern
Ireland, which is part of the
U.K., and the Republic of Ireland, which is part of the EU.
The proposal has sparked opposition from all sides because of concerns it would drive a wedge between Northern Ireland and the rest of the U.K. while leaving the country tied to the EU indefinitely.
May stressed in an interview with the BBC that it would be up the U.K. to decide whether to trigger the backstop and that one way to ease the concerns of lawmakers would be to let Parliament make this decision.
“There would be arguments on different sides at that point in time,” she said. “I think people are concerned about the role of the U.K. in making these decisions, and the obvious (thing to do) in terms of the role of the U.K. is for it to be Parliament that make these decisions.”
May is sticking to her mantra that the divorce deal she negotiated over the past 2½ years will allow the U.K. to take back control of its money, laws and borders.