Britain back to square one
May has a few days to come up with something new
Theresa May’s stunning defeat has raised serious questions about how — and if — Britain will leave the European Union as promised at the end of March.
MPs overwhelmingly rejected — by a vote of 432 to 202 — the withdrawal deal painstakingly negotiated between the Prime Minister and her European counterparts.
The landslide vote was pure humiliation for a British leader who has spent the past two years trying to sell her vision of Brexit to a sceptical public. Hardcore Brexiteers, such as former foreign secretary Boris Johnson, cheered the result as increasing the chances of Britain leaving the EU with no deal and no compromises — or with a much, much better deal than May or EU leaders say is realistic.
At the same time, those who want a second referendum, and who want to stay in the union, think May’s loss gets them closer to their goal.
The political turmoil heightened fears among European leaders that Britain will crash out of the bloc in a chaotic, no-deal departure that would have harsh economic and humanitarian consequences on both sides of the English Channel.
“The risk of a disorderly withdrawal of the United Kingdom has increased with this evening’s vote,” European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said. “While we do not want this to happen, the European Commission will continue its contingency work to help ensure the EU is fully prepared.”
In the House of Commons, May stood almost alone, flashing defiance and frustration, as many in her own party abandoned their leader.
Jeremy Corbyn, the Opposition Labour Party leader, called the loss “historic” and said May’s routine of “delay and denial” had led to disaster. “She cannot seriously believe after two years of failure she is capable of negotiating a good deal,” Corbyn said.
He then introduced a motion of noconfidence, to be debated and voted upon overnight NZT. Afterwards, leaders of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party, which props up May’s minority government, announced that they would support the Prime Minister, thereby making her ouster unlikely.
Rob Ford, a professor of politics at Manchester University, said these were indeed strange times. “Normally, if you were looking at a defeat of 50-plus votes on the No. 1 item on the government’s agenda, then that would be it. Game over. The prime minister would be gone, and the government would probably fall immediately. But that’s clearly not going to happen.”
May called yesterday’s vote in Parliament the most important in a generation. She told MPs that the choice was plain: support her imperfect compromise deal — the only one Europe will abide, she stressed — or face the cliff edge of a no-deal Brexit.
Staring directly at Corbyn, May said that anyone who thought they could go to Brussels and get a better deal was deluding themselves. Moments after the result came in, May said: “The Government has heard what the House has said tonight.”
She has until Tuesday NZT to return with a Plan B. May said she would hold talks with MPs to find out what kind of Brexit deal, if any, they would endorse.
Other European leaders, who expected the deal to fail, said they saw little they could do to try to ease any agreement through the British Parliament. “Maybe we’ll make improvements on one or two things,” said French President Emmanuel Macron. “But I don’t really think so, because we’ve reached the maximum of what we could do with the deal, and we won’t, just to solve Britain’s domestic political issues, stop defending European interests.”
At least one prominent voice suggested that Britain might reconsider its divorce effort altogether. “If a deal is impossible, and no one wants no deal, then who will finally have the courage to say what the only positive solution is?” European Council President Donald Tusk tweeted.
Britain could ask to postpone Brexit beyond March 29 and try to buy more time to work out its problems. An extension would require unanimous consent from the remaining EU countries.