LONDON (Reuters) – European Union leaders have given Prime Minister Theresa May a two week reprieve before Britain could leave the bloc without an exit deal if she fails to win parliaments backing for her agreement with Brussels.
A man with painted EU and British flags on his face is seen ahead of an EU Summit in Brussels, March 21, 2019
Below is what is due to happen next:
BREXIT DEBATE – MONDAY 25 MARCH
Lawmakers are due to debate a government motion saying that parliament has considered a statement made by May on March 15 which set out the governments next steps on Brexit, including its plan to seek a delay.
They will put forward proposed changes, known as amendments, to this motion setting out alternative ways forward on Brexit.
While amendments are not legally binding – although they exert political pressure on May to change course – a cross-party group of lawmakers hopes to use one to change the rules of parliament to wrest control of the Brexit process from the government.
The group, including lawmakers from Mays Conservatives, have put forward a proposal which would set aside March 27 to debate and vote on alternative ways forward on Brexit to try to find a majority that would break the parliamentary deadlock.
A similar amendment voted on last week lost by just two votes so this is expected to have a good chance of passing.
THIRD VOTE ON MAYS DEAL – TUESDAY MARCH 26?
EU leaders have agreed to delay Brexit to May 22, from March 29, on the condition the Withdrawal Agreement is approved by parliament next week.
The government has yet to schedule a day for a vote but it will have to notify parliament the day before it plans to hold one. Tuesday had been the day most widely expected but with the threat of a no-deal exit on Friday now removed, some believe it could be later in the week.
Commons Speaker John Bercow has ruled that the government cannot bring forward proposals for a vote that are substantially the same as those already defeated twice before, but this is not ultimately expected to prevent a third vote if lawmakers want one to happen.
Mays team says that the approval at an EU summit of the so-called Strasbourg agreement – extra assurances on the Northern Irish backstop arrangement – and other measures now change the deals shape from the last time it was voted on.
May needs to win over at least 75 lawmakers to get her deal approved, at the moment this looks like an uphill struggle.
INDICATIVE VOTES – WEDNESDAY MARCH 27?
Last week, Mays de facto deputy, David Lidington, promised that if the governments deal was not approved and Britain was facing a long delay to Brexit, the government would give parliament time to consider the way forward.
“In such a scenario the government … would facilitate a process in the two weeks after the March European Council to allow the House to seek a majority on the way forward,” he said.
This has been interpreted as so-called indicative votes, which would allow lawmakers to vote on a variety of possible Brexit outcomes to see if there is a majority for any option.
On Thursday, May said she would honour the commitments made to parliament by her government.
Such votes could be forced on the government on Wednesday if the proposal to take control of the business in parliament, put forward by the cross-party group of lawmakers, passes on Monday. Read More
[contf]
[contfnew]
RT
[contfnewc]
[contfnewc]
