The Prime Minister suffered an incredible snub in Parliament over the vote on the Brexit agreement with the EU. She must now face a vote of no confidence
This is the total blur in the UK . What will become of the country? What’s the fate for Theresa May?
The British Prime Minister faces Wednesday, January 16th a motion that can bring down his government, the day after the disavowal of British MPs , who overwhelmingly rejected his agreement to exit the European Union .
In the Commons, the treaty concluded by the conservative ruling obtained only 202 votes against 432 , the heaviest defeat suffered by a British leader of since the 1920s . This historic vote has plunged the United Kingdom into uncertainty about its future, two and a half months of Brexit, scheduled for March 29th .
“Catastrophic” result
As soon as the result was known, Labour opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn tabled a no-confidence motion against the government, calling it “catastrophic”.
His initiative is unlikely to succeed. The Conservative Party of Theresa May and her ally, the small ultra-conservative Northern Ireland party DUP, who led the charge against the Brexit agreement, have no desire to be supplanted by the Labour Party at the head of the country.
On Tuesday night, the DUP and several conservative rebel deputies announced that they would support Theresa May.
The tabloid Daily Mail, pro-Brexit, however, believes that his fate “hangs by a thread.”
According to Times columnist Matthew Parris, it is now time for experienced parliamentarians to take over the Brexit file. “There is no leadership, either in government or in opposition, that can help us get out of this quagmire,” he writes.
“Constructive spirit”
The vote of the motion of censure is scheduled at 7pm
If passed, a new executive must be formed and be trusted by Parliament within 14 days. In case of failure, new legislative elections are called.
If Theresa May manages to stay on the other hand, she will have until Monday to present a “Plan B”. Several options are available to her: to commit to return to Brussels to negotiate, or to request a postponement of the Brexit date. The rejection of the text also opens the possibility of a divorce without agreement, particularly feared by the economic circles.
True to her reputation for resilience and convinced to survive this new ordeal, the leader has already planned to meet with MPs from all parties “in a constructive spirit” to find the way forward.
“We need to focus on ideas that are truly negotiable and have enough support from this chamber,” she told MEPs, promising “to explore them then with the European Union”.
The task looks daunting. British officials have so far been unable to agree on the terms of the divorce with the EU and their future relationship, between those who want a frank break and supporters of maintaining close ties, or even maintaining.
The 27 united
Boris Johnson, former head of the British diplomacy and Brexit chancellor, said the result of the vote gave Theresa May a “massive mandate” to return to negotiate with the EU.
Not sure, however, that Brussels hears it that way.
The President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, repeated on Tuesday that the rejected agreement was “a fair compromise and the best possible agreement”, before estimating that “the risk of a Brexit without agreement has increased. “.
“It is now up to the British government to say what is the next step. The EU will remain united and determined to reach an agreement, “said Europe’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier.
For its part, Ireland has announced intensify its preparations for a “no deal” and called on London to make proposals “to break the deadlock”.
In business circles, consternation is in order. “Financial stability should not be compromised in a political poker game,” warned Catherine McGuiness, a leading London City financial lobbyist.
“We need a new plan immediately (…) to protect the UK economy,” said Carolyn Fairbairn, Executive Director of the UK’s leading employers’ organization (CBI).
