- Brexit plan defeat and no deal scenario
Time is fast approach with rising uncertainty up to the U.K.’s official EU leave date of March 29, 2019.
The U.K. British Prime Minister Theresa May suffered an embarrassing defeat in the House of Commons after MPs rejected her renewed approach to leaving the EU last Thursday, Feb. 14.
Legislators voted 303 to 258 against the government amendment that would have endorsed May’s renewed approach in negotiations with the EU and prevent the U.K. from crashing out of the EU without a deal. Significantly, however, a band of Tory rebels led by Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg of the Eurosceptic European Research Group who wants to pursue a no-deal Brexit, abstained from the vote and as such left the government vulnerable to a heavy defeat. The government’s second defeat on a Brexit vote highlights how the prime minister is once again losing control of her party in the final weeks before the U.K. is scheduled to exit the EU.
Although the vote was non-binding, it is a reversal of the progress the prime minister made two weeks ago when she secured a parliamentary majority for a new Brexit motion.
The latest defeat will leave EU officials in Brussels ever more uncertain in their belief that May will be able to deliver a smooth and salvageable Brexit and will leave them less inclined to offer her more concessions to her deal.
May is attempting to renegotiate her failed Brexit deal with the EU to ensure that it is approved by parliament. The EU, however, has stated that the deal is not up for renegotiation and they refuse to revisit the backstop agreement. May is to return to parliament later this month and make a statement to the House of Commons if she fails to formulate a new deal or renegotiate her failed one.
-Corbyn’s leadership in spotlight with seven MP’s quitting over Brexit
The main opposition party leader Jeremy Corbyn has come under increased pressure and criticism for his handling of Brexit and his failure to deal with anti-Semitism in the party.
On Monday morning, Feb. 18, a group of seven MPs resigned from Britain’s Labour Party and will now sit in parliament as independent lawmakers. The decision to leave the opposition party was announced Monday morning at a press conference held by resigning MPs Chuka Umunna, Luciana Berger, Chris Leslie, Angela Smith, Mike Gapes, Gavin Shuker and Ann Coffey.
In the upcoming days, further pressure could mount on May to find a way to take a “no deal” scenario off the table and ask for more time to extend negotiations beyond the March deadline. At the moment, the political deadlock is increasing the possibility of a no deal exit while businesses are working on their emergency plans to be able to access European markets.