British parliament to have final say over Brexit deal

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

LONDON

British lawmakers have passed an amendment to a much debated European Union Withdrawal Bill, which gives the parliament legal guarantee of a vote on the final Brexit deal.

MPs voted 309 to 305 in favor of an amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill, dealing Prime Minister Theresa May a major blow ahead of an EU summit.

The government has warned before the vote Wednesday evening that such a move would slow down a delivery of a smooth departure from the bloc.

According to the amendment, the final deal that will be reached over Brexit with the EU will need a final approval from the House of Commons.

May will join the leaders of the EU and 27 remaining members Thursday in Brussels at a summit, where the bloc is expected to announce the start of the second phase of the Brexit negotiations.

A deal to move the talks to the next stage, in which the future trade relations between parties will be discussed, was struck between the U.K. and EU last week, following a delay caused by Northern Ireland’s unionists.

The U.K. is set to leave the bloc in March 2019, ending its 44- membership.