May survives no-trust vote
PRESSURE ON CORBYN TO SEEK ‘PEOPLE’S VOTE’ AFTER HIS MOTION BACKFIRES
Prime Minister Theresa May narrowly survived a vote of no-confidence in Parliament yesterday, but the result did little to quell the turmoil gripping the British government over her plan for leaving the European Union, coming a day after she suffered a historic defeat on the blueprint.
The House of Commons voted 325-306 to reject an opposition motion of no confidence. If successful, it almost certainly would have ousted her from power and probably would have forced a general election, adding still more layers of uncertainty in a country fast approaching the March 29 date for leaving the bloc — yet unable to agree on how to do so. On Monday, May is required to return to Parliament with proposals on how she intends to proceed, and that will give lawmakers the opportunity to add alternative suggestions — ranging from a customs union or a second referendum to a no-deal departure.
The risk for May is that, if she fails to move fast enough, she could lose control of Brexit to a newly emboldened Parliament. The premier is also urgently lining up calls with EU leaders to discuss the next steps. It’s unclear how much help the EU can be. The bloc is willing to extend the Article 50 negotiating period beyond the summer to find a deal if necessary, according to diplomats. But yesterday, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, said there’s no way to remove the need for the most contentious part of the agreement — the so-called backstop plan for the Irish border.
Meanwhile, Jeremy Corbyn’s failure of his no-confidence motion was used by scores of Labour MPs to demand he support a second referendum.
The Labour leader is under mounting pressure to change course on Brexit, with senior figures now prepared to defy party policy and join with Tory rebels attempting to force through a draft referendum bill.
The Daily Telegraph has been told that a number of Labour MPs are preparing to back an amendment due to be laid on Monday, which would pave the way for a new referendum.
Following a referendum that divided our nation in half, we dearly need to bring our country back together.” Theresa May | British Prime Minister
HERE ARE SOME SCENARIOS GOING FORWARD AFTER TUESDAY’S CRUSHING PARLIAMENTARY DEFEAT FOR PRIME MINISTER THERESA MAY’S PLAN FOR THE TERMS OF BREXIT
DELAYED DEPARTURE
After the 2016 vote, Britain triggered Article 50 of the EU’s principal treaty, starting a two-year countdown clock for its departure. But PM May could ask the EU for an extension beyond March 29, which the bloc, seeking to avoid even greater chaos, would likely grant. At least one parliamentary faction has already called for a postponement.
SECOND REFERENDUM
May has argued passionately that putting the question to a referendum once again would undermine Britain’s democracy, so she’s unlikely to support a do-over “People’s Vote.” But the revote idea, which would need parliamentary approval, has considerable public support. The EU would be unlikely to object if British voters backed away from the earlier decision. But bitter domestic divisions over issues like sovereignty and immigration would likely roar to the fore — as they did in the original Brexit vote.
NARROW VICTORY
UK prime minister Theresa May narrowly survived an attempt to oust her government after a crushing defeat for her Brexit plan. The prime minister fought off the threat of an immediate national election and won the right to continue running the country when the House of Commons voted 325 to 306 against a motion of “no confidence” in her administration. On finding out she won, May invited other party leaders to meet to talk about the way forward.
TWEAKING THE DEAL
Before Tuesday’s vote, the EU firmly ruled out any substantive changes in the negotiated accord, saying the deal that Parliament rejected was the only one on offer. May could return to Brussels to search for some small concessions and bring those before British lawmakers for another vote. But mere tweaks would be unlikely to change the outcome in Parliament.
CRASHING OUT
Leaving the EU with no accord in place — “crashing out” — has been described by economists as a doomsday scenario, highly disruptive to trade and likely to set off a deep recession in Britain, while also harming economies on the continent. British consumers might face heavy expense and scarcity of goods. Most lawmakers oppose crashing out, although for very different reasons. But the parliamentary mechanism for preventing it is unclear.
I believe [an election] is the worst thing we could do, it would deepen division when we need unity.” Theresa May | British Prime Minister
If a government cannot get its legislation through parliament, it must go to the country for a new mandate.” Jeremy Corbyn | Labour Party leader
It is now up to the British to indicate what they want. … We still hope to reach an agreement before they leave.” Mark Rutte | Dutch Prime Minister