London: British lawmakers will vote on Tuesday on whether to try to take control of the Brexit process in a series of crunch votes that threaten to pile more pressure on Prime Minister Theresa May.
With the Brexit deadline only 60 days away, MPs will vote on May’s “Plan B”, which she presented to parliament last week after her initial deal was comprehensively rejected on January 15.
They will also vote on amendments that will indicate whether lawmakers have the numbers to instigate a legally-binding parliamentary takeover of the process. One amendment would open the door for the Remain-dominated House of Commons to bring in legislation preventing Britain leaving the European Union without an official deal on March 29.
It would force May to delay Brexit for nine months if her deal is not approved before February 26, and give lawmakers the ability to indefinitely extend the deadline.
Increasing numbers of government ministers have warned they will not accept the prospect of Britain leaving without a deal, which would immediately sever all ties with its largest trading partner. Conservative leader May is seeking to salvage her agreement, and hopes to win over MPs in another future ballot, despite losing the last by 230 votes.
The government said that this second “meaningful vote” would also be amendable, possibly convincing some MPs not to take any drastic action on Tuesday, knowing they will have another chance. Parliamentary experts also warned that MPs’ efforts may be unconstitutional.
“The Commons… cannot legally compel the government to negotiate an arrangement to which it is opposed,” King’s College London professor Vernon Bogdanor wrote in The Times, adding their plans would constitutionally require a change in government.
Amid the bitter wrangling Queen Elizabeth II appeared to make a rare foray into politics last week, emphasising in a speech the need for Britons to come together to “seek out the common ground”. May’s plan B hinges almost entirely on convincing the EU to reexamine the existing deal’s so-called backstop proposal, which could see Britain tied to the bloc’s trade rules to keep open the border with Ireland. (AFP)
