UK PM May suffers further Brexit defeat in parliament
- 5 years ago
British Prime Minister Theresa May has suffered yet another defeat on her Brexit strategy in parliament.
It marks another setback for her government as it attempts to reopen the terms of its divorce deal with the EU.
For more on this and other news around the world we turn to our Ro Aram…
Aram… what's the latest?
Well Mark… British MPs voted 303 to 258 against the government's Brexit motion.
It included an amendment on renegotiating the Irish backstop - a contentious part of the deal.
It also included a non-binding amendment to prevent a no-deal Brexit.
Both had previously been approved by parliament, but hardline Brexit supporters in her Conservative Party decided to abstain.
They believe May's plan is not what the British public voted for, and would rather see the UK leave the EU without a deal.
Though the vote is not legally binding, it does send a strong signal to both the prime minister and Brussels that parliament is not happy with how they are negotiating divorce terms.
May was absent from the House of Commons for the debate and the outcome of the vote.
Her spokesman said she still believed parliament wanted her to keep pressing for changes to the Brexit deal.
That would be tough because EU leaders have repeatedly ruled out any renegotiation of their agreed terms.
The opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn criticized May for not attending Thursday's debate, adding she needed to admit her Brexit strategy had failed.
Downing Street lashed out at Corbyn for voting against the motion, saying he had "yet again put partisan considerations ahead of the national interest."
It marks another setback for her government as it attempts to reopen the terms of its divorce deal with the EU.
For more on this and other news around the world we turn to our Ro Aram…
Aram… what's the latest?
Well Mark… British MPs voted 303 to 258 against the government's Brexit motion.
It included an amendment on renegotiating the Irish backstop - a contentious part of the deal.
It also included a non-binding amendment to prevent a no-deal Brexit.
Both had previously been approved by parliament, but hardline Brexit supporters in her Conservative Party decided to abstain.
They believe May's plan is not what the British public voted for, and would rather see the UK leave the EU without a deal.
Though the vote is not legally binding, it does send a strong signal to both the prime minister and Brussels that parliament is not happy with how they are negotiating divorce terms.
May was absent from the House of Commons for the debate and the outcome of the vote.
Her spokesman said she still believed parliament wanted her to keep pressing for changes to the Brexit deal.
That would be tough because EU leaders have repeatedly ruled out any renegotiation of their agreed terms.
The opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn criticized May for not attending Thursday's debate, adding she needed to admit her Brexit strategy had failed.
Downing Street lashed out at Corbyn for voting against the motion, saying he had "yet again put partisan considerations ahead of the national interest."