UK parliament to vote on Brexit deal on Jan. 15

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Europe

01:02

British Prime Minister Theresa May has failed to win parliamentary support for the treaty she agreed with fellow leaders of the European Union last month and is expected to put it to a vote on the week of January 14.

May pulled a parliamentary vote on her Brexit deal in December after admitting it would be rejected. At a summit on Dec. 14, she urged EU leaders to modify some terms but they insisted they would not reopen the agreement.

May said on Sunday that Britain would be in uncharted territory if her Brexit deal is rejected by parliament, despite little sign that she has won over skeptical lawmakers.

Anti-Brexit demonstrators protest outside the UK parliament in London, December 10, 2018. /VCG Photo

The report added that more than 200 members of parliament (MPs) have signed a letter to May, urging her to rule out a no-deal Brexit. The MPs have been invited to meet the prime minister on Tuesday.

Eighteen percent of the British voters think May has got the right Brexit deal, according to an ORB poll.

May is still working on obtaining necessary assurances from Europe's leaders this week.

"I've been speaking to European leaders in the intervening period, speaking to colleagues. I'll be continuing with that," May said. "In the coming days, what we'll set out is not just about the EU but also about what we can do domestically.

"We will be setting out measures which will be specific to Northern Ireland, we'll be setting out proposals for a greater role for parliament ... and we are continuing to work on further assurances, further undertakings from the European Union in relation to the concern that has been expressed by parliamentarians."

EU: 'This deal will not be renegotiated'

The European Commission, on the other hand, repeated on Monday that EU leaders would not renegotiate a Brexit treaty agreed last month with Prime Minister Theresa May and was pressing on with planning for Britain to crash out of the Union without a deal.

"The deal that is on the table is the best and the only deal possible," chief spokesman Margaritis Schinas told reporters when asked about a phone conversation on Friday between May and Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

"This deal will not be renegotiated." He also repeated that there were no talks planned between negotiators from the two sides as "negotiations are complete."

Schinas repeated that Juncker's conversation with May on Friday was "friendly" and that the two would speak again this week.

Britain is due to leave the European Union on March 29, facing the possible no-deal Brexit, German Interior Ministry spokesman said that British citizens will have three months of additional residency rights, which can be extended.

Labour Party to back a bid for an extra-parliamentary barrier to no-deal Brexit

Britain's main opposition Labour Party is expected to back a proposal on Tuesday that could mean the government needs parliamentary approval for a no-deal Brexit, putting up a new hurdle for May.

To avoid a no-deal Brexit, a group of lawmakers from across the political spectrum to come up with a plan to try to win parliament the authority by amending legislation. The plan, if successful, would mean that parliament would need to explicitly approve a no deal exit before the government could exercise certain powers it would need to implement one.

The amendment to a bill that is designed to implement the budget and gives the government authority to keep its tax-raising powers intact after Brexit could be put before parliament on Tuesday if it is chosen by the speaker.

A Labour source said on Monday the party was expected to vote in favor of the amendment. Because May does not have an outright majority in parliament to rely upon, and her own Conservative Party is split over Brexit, Labor's support would give the amendment a chance of passing if enough Conservatives also support it.

Several have already signaled their backing by co-sponsoring the amendment. It would not be an outright block on Britain leaving without a deal, but would create both a political and technical headache for the government.

(Cover: Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May attends the weekly Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons in London, December 19, 2018. /VCG Photo)

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Source(s): AFP ,Reuters