UK Parliament / Jessica Taylor
- Members of Parliament fail to find a majority consensus on which alternative to the prime minister’s Brexit deal they can support.
- The House of Commons took part in a series of "indicative votes" after twice rejecting the Withdrawal Agreement negotiated by Theresa May.
- Among the options voted on were for the UK to leave the EU without a deal, May to revoke Article 50, or to hold a second referendum.
- None won the support of a majority of MPs.
LONDON — Members of Parliament have failed to find a majority for any of the alternatives to Theresa May’s Brexit deal, throwing the future of Brexit into doubt with just two weeks to go until Britain is due to leave.
The House of Commons cast their ballots in a series of non-binding indicative votes designed to test if there was a majority for any alternatives to the prime minister’s own Brexit deal, which they had rejected twice before.
Theresa May would not have been legally bound to commit to implementing the result. However, a vote for a softer Brexit could have had huge political significance as the Commons looks to find a way through the Brexit impasse which has paralysed parliament.
The House voted on eight different Brexit options after backbenchers moved on Monday to wrestle control of the Commons agenda.
Options that were considered were a no-deal Brexit; single market and customs union membership; a customs union membership; a EEA-style deal; Labour’s alternative Brexit plan; the revocation of Article 50; and a confirmatory referendum on May’s Brexit deal.
This is a developing story.
See Also:
- Brexit trade deals will be worse than current EU deals, says Liam Fox’s former trade chief
- Over 5 million people have signed a petition calling for Brexit to be cancelled
- Theresa May could quit next week as ministers plot an emergency replacement
Source: Business Insider – tcolson@businessinsider.com (Thomas Colson)