14 March 2019 - MPs vote against a no-deal Brexit
Brexit: Parliament rejects a no-deal departure
William Booth, Karla Adam and Michael Birnbaum (The Washington Post, 13/03/2019)
Parliament on Wednesday voted, twice, that Britain should not leave the European Union without a proper withdrawal agreement, signaling that lawmakers will also ask European leaders for permission to delay Brexit.
The no-deal votes were in many ways symbolic — taking the temperature of Parliament, rather than setting concrete policy. The wishes expressed by lawmakers do not tie the hands of the British government, nor do they commit the E.U. to any action.
Prime Minister Theresa May conceded there was a “clear majority” against a no-deal Brexit, but she warned lawmakers that the “legal default” was that Britain would still leave without a deal on March 29 unless another agreement is reached.
Brexit could be delayed until June as Theresa May launches bid for third 'meaningful' vote on deal
Joe Watts (The Independent, 13/03/2019)
Britain’s departure from the EU looks set to be delayed until June after Theresa May launched a desperate last-ditch bid to make MPs vote on her Brexit deal a third time.
On a farcical night in Westminster, Ms May was forced to concede she would go to Brussels and ask for the short extension – but only if the Commons approves her deal next week.
If MPs reject her deal at the third time of asking, she warned that a longer extension would leave Britain at the mercy of EU demands for new concessions and mean the UK must take part in European elections in May.
The prime minister was pushed to make the offer after a chaotic night for the government which ended with Tory rebels – including several cabinet ministers – helping to pass a vote demanding a no-deal Brexit be completely ruled out.
Theresa May has lost control of Brexit and now anything is possible
Jane Merrick (CNN, 14/03/2019)
The mantra of politicians who want Britain to leave the European Union has always been "take back control."
As Westminster prepares itself for a third consecutive night of Brexit drama, the question is now: Who is in control?
It's certainly not Theresa May. On Wednesday, she suffered another humiliating defeat, with members of her own Cabinet refusing to support the government's position in a crucial vote on the issue of a no-deal Brexit.
On Thursday, lawmakers will vote on whether to delay the UK's departure from the European Union beyond March 29. Many see that delay as an opportunity to push for a "soft" Brexit, with the UK maintaining strong links to the EU.Lawmakers will vote on a motion, put forward by the government, which suggests delaying Brexit for a short period -- until the end of June at the latest.
How May’s Brexit deal laid bare Tories’ deep divisions over Europe
Heather Stewart and Rajeev Syal (The Guardian, 14/03/2019)
Throughout yet another neuralgic day of Brexit debate at Westminster, the deep divisions in the Conservative party were again on excruciating display.
Collective responsibility has long been suspended, as shifting groups of ministers and backbenchers pursue their own favoured Brexit outcome. But the chaotic votes of Wednesday night smacked of a government falling apart.
First, six cabinet ministers most notable for their leadership ambitions – Gavin Williamson, Jeremy Hunt, Alun Cairns, Andrea Leadsom, Penny Mordaunt and Sajid Javid – supported the Malthouse compromise, a policy that would involve junking the deal their own government had spent two years negotiating.