‘Bad news’ for May as she survives party mutiny

LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May survived a no-confidence vote by her Conservative Party yesterday, but a mutiny by more than a third of her lawmakers indicated parliament was heading to deadlock over Brexit.

While 200 Conservative lawmakers voted in support of May, 117 dissented – signalling that she was no nearer to passing her EU divorce agreement.

It was not the robust affirmation she needs as she goes to Brussels today to ask the other 27 EU leaders for clarification of the deal to reassure the doubters.

On Monday, she 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 that 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.

“It is a terrible result for the prime minister,” Jacob Rees-Mogg, leader of a hard Brexit faction, said. “The prime minister must realise that she ought to go see the queen urgently and resign.”

“If you’re a PM and a third of your MPs vote against you, that is very bad news,” eurosceptic lawmaker Mark Francois said.

Brexit is Britain’s most significant political and economic decision since World War II. Pro-Europeans fear the departure will weaken the West and the outcome will shape Britain’s $2.8 trillion economy and determine whether London keeps its place as one of the top two global financial centres. |