-Crucial Brexit votes ahead
On March 12, MPs will again vote on Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal. If the deal passes this time around, the U.K. will leave the EU on March 29 based on that deal. If the deal is voted down once again, the following two days will see lawmakers discuss the deal with a vote on two amendments, with one option being MPs voting to leave without a deal on March 13. Should a no deal vote win, the U.K. will leave the EU on the March 29 deadline with uncertainty as to what the next steps will be taken in the immediate aftermath. However, if lawmakers reject leaving the EU without a deal, another vote will be held on Thursday, March 14.
MPs will then vote on whether the country needs more time for an orderly exit. If the MPs agree to extend Article 50 and therefore the negotiations process, talks will be extended for a period of time subject to agreement with the EU.
Brexit talks between the U.K. and the EU officials have reached a 'deadlock' following negotiations over the weekend, a statement from the U.K. government said Monday as a crucial week in the House of Commons looms. The statement of from 10 Downing Street came after May spoke with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Sunday after the latest series of negotiations failed to find a breakthrough on the 'backstop' clause of the withdrawal agreement.
The backstop is a mechanism that would keep the U.K. aligned with the EU until a permanent solution is found to avoid a hard border in the island of Ireland. It is the main sticking point for the majority of British lawmakers.
The original deal was rejected on Jan. 15 by a majority of 230 votes in the parliament, giving the prime minister the worst defeat of a sitting government for decades.
The talks are still ongoing on Monday, only a day before vote in parliament on Tuesday.