May seeks a postponement on Brexit vote
Obstacle on status of Irish borders sinks chances of passage
LONDON — Facing the prospect of a humiliating defeat, Prime Minister Theresa May said Monday that she would seek to postpone a parliamentary vote on her proposal for Britain’s departure from the European Union, throwing the process into disarray and highlighting her tenuous hold on power.
Parliament had been scheduled to vote Tuesday on the agreement that May reached with the bloc for Britain’s withdrawal, or Brexit — a critical moment in her political career and in the battle over an issue that has gripped British politics for nearly three years.
But weeks of bitter criticism and days of parliamentary debate had left no doubt that the plan would be soundly rejected by lawmakers, due in large part to objections over plans for dealing with the Irish border that pro-Brexit lawmakers say could potentially leave the United Kingdom tied to some of the bloc’s rules indefinitely.
“If we went ahead and held the vote tomorrow, the deal would be defeated by a significant margin,” May said in an unscheduled address to Parliament on Monday afternoon, punctuated by jeers and laughter as she attempted to make her case. “We will therefore defer the vote scheduled for tomorrow and not proceed to divide the house at this time.”
Although the prime minister appears to have the authority to unilaterally postpone the vote, there was opposition to such a move, adding yet another layer of unanswered questions to a process already steeped in uncertainty. Some opponents of the deal were eager to stick to the schedule and deliver a resounding defeat to the bill and to May.
“The government has lost control of events and is in complete disarray,” said Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition Labour Party. “It’s been evident for weeks that the prime minister’s deal did not have the confidence of this house, yet she plowed on regardless, reiterating this is the only deal available.”
The British pound lost about 1 percent of its value against the euro and the U.S. dollar, falling to its lowest level in more than a year and a half.
May said that the only obstacle to parliamentary approval was disagreement over the status of Northern Ireland, which under the deal could remain more closely tied to the European Union than the rest of the country.
“There remains widespread and deep concern,” she acknowledged. But she insisted that the solution was not to alter the agreement, which she called “the best deal that can be negotiated.”
EU officials have insisted that the deal, reached last month after lengthy negotiations, represents their final offer and that the only alternative is for Britain to leave the bloc on March 29 without an agreement in place — an abrupt and chaotic prospect that officials on both sides of the Channel predict would be economically damaging.
“The Brexit withdrawal agreement is the only deal on the table between the EU and the U.K. and is not open to renegotiation,” said Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.