UK lawmakers vote against no-deal Brexit, aim for delay

LONDON >> British lawmakers voted Wednesday to block the country from leaving the European Union without a divorce agreement and will next decide whether to try to delay that departure, currently due to take place on March 29.

That decision in Parliament, scheduled for today, was set up after a vote that represented yet another defeat for Prime Minister Theresa May amid months of political crisis over Britain’s departure from the EU.

The lawmakers’ 321-278 vote has political but not legal force, and does not entirely rule out a chaotic no-deal departure for Britain.

Exiting the EU without a deal could mean major disruptions for businesses and people in the U.K. and the 27 remaining EU countries.

Delaying Brexit would need EU approval. The bloc — openly exasperated by Britain’s continuing Brexit crisis — warned that the U.K. would need to present a strong reason for any extension.