May remains, but Brexit deal still teeters
LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May survived a confidence vote by the Conservative Party yesterday, but a mutiny by more than a third of her MPs indicated Parliament was heading towards deadlock over Brexit.
While 200 Conservative MPs voted in support of May as leader, 117 dissented, indicating opposition not only from supporters of a hard Brexit but also from many more pragmatic MPs and signalling she was no nearer to passing her EU divorce agreement.
It was not the robust affirmation she needed as she headed to Brussels to ask the other 27 EU leaders, who had made room for her at a summit, for clarification of the deal to reassure the doubters.
This week May cancelled a parliamentary vote on her deal, struck after two years of negotiations and designed to maintain close future ties with the bloc, after admitting it would be heavily defeated.
With Britain due to leave the EU on March 29, Parliament’s opposition has suddenly opened up possibilities including a potentially disorderly exit with no deal or even another referendum on membership.
Speaking in Downing Street after the vote, May said she would listen to those who had voted against her and seek legal assurances on the most controversial part of her deal — an insurance policy to prevent a hard border between EU member Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland. Many in her party fear these ‘‘backstop’’ measures could last indefinitely.
‘‘A significant number of colleagues did cast a vote against me and I’ve listened to what they said,’’ May said. ‘‘We now have to get on with the job of delivering Brexit for the British people.’’
However, EU leaders say they have no intention of changing the agreement.
And diplomatic sources in Brussels said the draft of a document being prepared for May included only the possibility the bloc would look into giving Britain more assurances over the Irish backstop, without offering any immediately.
Supporters said the result showed the party should now get behind her. But eurosceptics said she should now quit. — Reuters