Historic vote is expected this Tuesday evening in the British parliament that should determine the future of the United Kingdom and whether or not Theresa May at the head of the government.
The British MPs are pronounced Tuesday, January 15 in the evening on the divorce agreement with the EU by the First Minister Theresa May , a historic vote which should mark a scathing rejection of the text, adding to uncertainty about the future of United Kingdom .
The debate resumed around 1pm and will end in the late afternoon with an intervention Theresa May. The vote is expected around 8 pm, after the examination of four amendments requesting amendments to the agreement.
” What game are you playing? You are not children, you are legislators! The Attorney General, Geoffrey Cox, told the House by opening the debate, warning MPs of the dangers of a divorce without agreement.
No one expects the MP’s to vote in favor of the text and the unknown is rather the extent of the margin with which Theresa May will lose this vote, which will affect the following: resignation of the Prime Minister, postponement Brexit or no Brexit … All scenarios remained possible.
The UK is expected to leave the EU on 29 March 2019 at 11pm . In the event of an “orderly withdrawal” under the agreement, London and Brussels would start discussing their future trade relationship , which would come into effect after a transitional period until the end of 2020.
The vote revived the passions in a country deeply divided by the Brexit , voted in June 2016, and opened a period of unprecedented turbulence, the British political class being unable to agree on the type of relationship desired with the EU, between supporters of a frank break and those who wish to maintain close ties.
“Nothing has changed “
The tension was palpable in the financial circles preparing for a night of all dangers, ready to face a high volatility of British assets, led by the pound sterling. Tuesday morning, it remained stable against the dollar and the euro.
The powerful Automobile Manufacturers and Vendors Association (SMMT) has warned against “the catastrophic consequences” of an exit without agreement.
Feverishness also reigned around the Westminster Parliament, where pro and anti-Brexit activists rallied , with flags from the UK or the EU in hand. Proponents of a second referendum staged a Theresa May cardboard paste at the bow of a boat “HMS Brexit” running on an iceberg, such as the Titanic.
Originally scheduled for December, the vote was postponed at the last minute by Theresa May to avoid a defeat announced and try to obtain additional “assurances” from European leaders.
They were content to reaffirm the eve of the vote that the EU “does not want” the entry into force of the most controversial provision of the agreement, that of the “backstop” ).
This last resort option is to keep the UK in a Customs Union with the EU to avoid the reestablishment of a physical border between Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland, if no other solution is possible. found at the end of the transition period. The “Brexiters” see it as an indefinite anchor in the EU, and the small Northern Unionist party DUP believes that this threatens the economic and political integrity of the UK.
These guarantees have left the DUP cold, whose support is essential to Theresa May to have an absolute majority in Parliament. “We fought a terrorist campaign (of the IRA, ed) to remain a member of the United Kingdom …. We will not let bureaucrats in Brussels separate us from the rest of the United Kingdom, “said BBC Sammy Wilson, who is in charge of Brexit at the DUP, in reference to the unrest that has ravaged the province.
For the Labour opposition as for the liberal-democrats (Europhiles) and the Scottish nationalists of the SNP, “nothing has changed”.
“Determined”
Labour chief Jeremy Corbyn said he planned to table a no-confidence motion to call early parliamentary elections if the text fails in parliament.
Many Conservative MPs also remain opposed to the deal negotiated by their leader.
Theresa May, whose future is suspended from this vote, should speak once the choice of MPs is known.
According to the Minister for Relations with Parliament, Andrea Leadsom, the head of the government has no intention of throwing in the towel. She “will remain determined to implement this agreement,” said Andrea Leadsom at the BBC.
Theresa May will have three days after the rejection of the vote to present her “Plan B”. Several possibilities are available to her: to commit to come back to negotiate in Brussels, or to ask for a postponement of the Brexit date.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Tuesday that talks on Brexit would continue if the vote was rejected, while warning that there could be no “substantial” change to the withdrawal agreement.
