British PM Theresa May has endured another humiliating Brexit setback at the hands of her own MPs, with just weeks to go until Britain leaves the EU.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has suffered another humiliating defeat in parliament after MPs again voted down her latest Brexit plans.
On another dramatic day at Westminster, MPs voted by 303 to 258 against the motion endorsing the government’s approach.
The defeat on Thursday came after the pro-Brexit Tory European Research Group announced they had taken a “collective decision” to abstain.
Furious members said supporting the motion would have amounted to an endorsement of efforts to rule out a no-deal Brexit.
The wording of the motion called on MPs to reiterate their support for the approach set out in an earlier set of votes on January 29.
On that occasion, the Commons voted for a government-backed amendment calling on ministers to reopen negotiations with Brussels on the Northern Ireland backstop.
However, it also voted for a non-binding cross-party amendment rejecting a no-deal break with the EU.
Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn said the defeat “shows there is no majority for the PM’s course of action in dealing with Brexit.”
“She cannot keep on just running down the clock and hoping that something will turn up that will save her day and save her face,” he said of May, who was not in parliament for the defeat.
Leading Brexiteer Liam Fox earlier warned colleagues that defeat would raise doubts about whether a renegotiated deal could get through parliament, making the EU less likely to make an offer.
“Our European partners will be watching our debate and listening today to see if they get the impression that if they were to make those concessions parliament would definitely deliver,” trade minister Fox told BBC Radio 4.
“There’s a danger that we send the wrong signals.”
Shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer accused May of deliberately wasting time to ramp up pressure to pass her deal, and warned that MPs would not let her leave without a deal.
“As for the Prime Minister, taking us out of the EU on the 29th of March of this year without a deal — we’ll see about that.
“I think the majority in this House will do everything they can to prevent that,” he added.
May’s initial deal was roundly rejected by British MPs last month, but later parliamentary votes suggested a slim majority for her deal if she could get rid of the backstop clause.
(Published by News, February 14, 2019)