They just don’t know WTF they want to do over there….
The House of Commons on Monday rejected all 4 alternatives to Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal for the second time.
Why it matters: The U.K. leaving the EU without a deal remains the default option on April 12. The majority of MPs don’t want that to happen, but Parliament has still been unable to find common ground for an alternative solution.
Breakdowns by party:
Customs union: 273-276 (margin –3)
Motion C: Committing the government to negotiating “a permanent and comprehensive UK-wide customs union with the EU” as part of any Brexit deal.
[Cons. 37-236, Labour 230-10., Lib. Dem. 1-5,, The Ind. Group (now “Change UK”) 0-10, Dem Unionists (N. Ire.) 0-10,, Ind. 1-3, Green 0-1; apparently the Scottish & Welsh nationalists abstained.]
Common market 2.0: 261-282 (margin –21)
Motion D: Referred to as Common Market 2.0, this option would mean joining the European Free Trade Association and European Economic Area.
[C 33-228, Lab 185-25, LD 2-4, TIG 0-11, Den,. U. 0-10, Ind. 5-3, Green 0-1, Scottish Nationalists (SNP) 32-0, Plaid Cymru (Welsh Party) 4-0}
2nd referendum: 280-292] (margin –12; largest no. of votes for)
Motion E: Calling for a confirmatory referendum, giving the public a vote to approve any Brexit deal passed by Parliament before it can be implemented.
[C 15-252, Lab 203-24, LD 11-0, TIG 11-0, Ind 4-5,, Dem U 0-10, Plaid C. 4-0, Green 1-0; no SNP votes counted]
Reversing Brexit by revoking Article 50: 191-292 (margin –101)
Motion G: Aiming to prevent the UK leaving without a deal, including a vote on whether to revoke Article 50 – stopping Brexit altogether – if the EU does not agree to an extension.
[C 10-260, Lab 121-18, LD 10-0, TIG 11-o, DUP 0-10, Ind 2-4, Green 1-0, Plaid 4-0]
May’s deal (vote last week): 286-344
I wonder what will be the final answer?
PM May now says she will work with the opposition party to draft a way to do the Brexit …..
April 12 is the new deadline…
Could May be assuring her tenure in office for a longer period also?
From BBC News:
MPs have voted by a majority of one to force the prime minister to ask for an extension to the Brexit process, in a bid to avoid any no-deal scenario.
Labour’s Yvette Cooper led the move, which the Commons passed in one day.
It will need Lords approval to become law, while it would be up to the EU to decide whether to grant any extension.
A government spokesperson said it was “disappointed” that MPs backed the bill, which came after Theresa May met Jeremy Corbyn for Brexit talks.
The discussions between the leaders’ sides, which were described as “constructive”, are expected to continue throughout Thursday.
Meanwhile, Chancellor Philip Hammond has suggested that he expects Brussels to insist on a lengthy delay to Brexit and described a public vote to approve any final deal as “a perfectly credible proposition”.
Ms Cooper’s attempts to prevent a no-deal departure from the EU passed by 313 votes to 312.
The draft legislation by the former Labour minister would force the prime minister to ask the EU for an extension to the Article 50 process beyond 12 April and would give Parliament the power to decide the length of this delay.
Tory Brexiteers expressed frustration at the unusual process of a backbench bill – the first stage of enacting a law – clearing all stages in the Commons in a matter of hours, rather than months.
Mark Francois said: “It’s difficult to argue that you’ve had an extremely considered debate when you’ve rammed the bill through the House of Commons in barely four hours. That is not a considered debate, that is a constitutional outrage.”
The government’s attempt to limit the bill’s powers resulted in a 180-vote defeat – the second biggest defeat for a government in modern times.
Responding to the Commons vote, the government said the bill would place a “severe constraint” on its ability to negotiate an extension to the Brexit deadline before 12 April, the date the UK is due to exit.
The draft legislation will next be considered in the Lords as early as Thursday.
‘Useful but inconclusive’
It comes as talks between government negotiators and Labour are set to continue throughout Thursday after Mrs May and Mr Corbyn agreed a “programme of work”.
A No 10 spokesman said on Wednesday that both parties showed “flexibility” and “a commitment to bring the… uncertainty to a close”.
Mr Corbyn said the meeting was “useful, but inconclusive”, adding there had not been “as much change as [he] had expected” in the PM’s position.
The prime minister wants to agree a policy with the Labour leader for MPs to vote on before 10 April – when the EU will hold an emergency summit on Brexit.
But if they cannot reach a consensus, she has pledged to allow MPs to vote on a number of options, including the deal she has negotiated with the EU, which has already been rejected twice by MPs.
In either event, Mrs May said she would ask the EU for a further short extension to Brexit in the hopes of getting an agreement passed by Parliament before 22 May, so that the UK does not have to take part in European elections.
he cross-party talks have provoked strong criticism from MPs in both parties, with two ministers resigning on Wednesday.
Chris Heaton-Harris quit on Wednesday afternoon, claiming his job at the Department for Exiting the European Union had become “irrelevant” if the government is not prepared to leave without a deal.
Wales Minister Nigel Adams also resigned, saying the government was at risk of failing to deliver “the Brexit people voted for”.
Reports in papers including the Sun suggest as many as 15 more – including several cabinet ministers – could follow if Mrs May strayed too far from previous commitments….
More at https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47809717
(I may give a breakdown of the vote by party, later)
313-312 vote broken down by party:
14-290 Conservative
0-10 Democratic Unionists (DUP) in N, Ireland
229-9 Labour
35-0 Scottish National Party (SNP)
11-0 Liberal Democratic
11-0 The Independent Group (“Change UK”) — 8 ex-Lab & 3 ex-Con MPs
8-3 other independents
4-0 Plaid Cymru (The Welsh Party)
1-0 Green
This just drags on…and On….and ON!
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow
Creeps in this petty pace, from day to day,
Until the last syllable of recorded time.
And all out yesterdays have lighted fools,
The way to dusty death….
Macbeth (Act V, scene 5)
This COULD ego on for another decade?
Something tells me the British have buyer’s remorse under all this….
Brexit: UK asks EU for further extension until 30 June
BBC News, 1 hour ago
Theresa May has written to the European Union to request a further delay to Brexit until 30 June.
The UK is currently due to leave the EU on 12 April and, as yet, no withdrawal deal has been approved by MPs.
The prime minister has proposed that if UK MPs approve a deal in time, the UK should be able to leave before European Parliamentary elections on 23 May.
But she said the UK would prepare to field candidates in those elections, in case they do not reach agreement.
Meanwhile the BBC’s Europe editor Katya Adler has been told by a senior EU source that European Council President Donald Tusk will propose a 12-month “flexible” extension to Brexit, with the option of cutting it short, if the UK Parliament ratifies a deal.
But his proposal would have to be agreed unanimously by EU leaders next week. The prime minister wrote to Mr Tusk to request the extension ahead of Wednesday’s meeting.
She requested an extension to the end of June at the last summit, which took place shortly before 29 March – the date the UK was originally meant to have left the EU.
More at: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47825841
Brexit: Government offers ‘no change’ to deal, says Labour
BBC News, 2 minutes ago
The government has not proposed any changes to the PM’s Brexit deal during cross-party talks, says shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer (Lab.)
Meetings have been taking place between Tory and Labour politicians to find a proposal to put to the Commons before an emergency EU summit next week.
But Sir Keir said the government was not “countenancing any change” on the wording of the existing plan.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “We have made serious proposals.”
The government was “prepared to pursue changes to the political declaration”, a plan for the future relationship with the EU, to “deliver a deal that is acceptable to both sides”, the spokesman said.
Sir Keir said the government’s approach was “disappointing”, and it would not consider any changes the “actual wording” of the political declaration. “Compromise requires change,” he said.
“We want the talks to continue and we’ve written in those terms to the government, but we do need change if we’re going to compromise.”
The UK is currently due to leave the EU on 12 April and, as yet, no withdrawal deal has been approved by MPs.
Theresa May has written to European Council President Donald Tusk to request an extension to 30 June….
more at: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47833841
Really….
Let’s face it….
It seems that even by June there will no agreement and there could be ANOTHER extension….
They REALLY have NO idea WTF to do…..
Man while?
They haven’t left…
But businesses HAVE….
And We Americans think Trump’s incompetent ?