Parliament has again rejected Theresa May’s Brexit deal, deepening the political crisis that has crippled her government and casting a shadow over the future of the UK’s economic, legal and security arrangements.
On the day that Britain had initially been scheduled to leave the European Union — a day that Brexit supporters had hoped would be a moment of national celebration — the House of Commons voted down May’s withdrawal agreement for the third time, although by a much reduced margin.
MPs voted 344 to 286 against the withdrawal agreement, defeating it by a margin of 58.
Thirty-four Tories voted against the government, down from 75 at the last vote but more than enough to defeat the motion. The rebels were mainly hardline Brexiteers but also included six Remainers. The Conservatives' closest parliamentary allies, Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), also voted against the agreement.
Speaking to the Commons immediately after the vote, May said: "I think it should be a matter of profound regret to every member of this House that once again we have been unable to support leaving the European Union in an orderly fashion."
Parliament will now have to agree an "alternative way forward", the prime minister said, although she pointed out that there will not be time to agree, ratify and legislate for an agreement in the two weeks before the EU's deadline expires.
"I fear we are reaching the limits of this process in this House," May said.
Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, announced that the EU will hold a summit on April 10. A spokesperson for the European Commission said that a no-deal exit at midnight on April 12 was "now a likely scenario".
"The EU will remain united," the spokesperson continued. "The benefits of the withdrawal agreement, including a transition period, will in no circumstances be replicated in a “no-deal” scenario. Sectoral mini-deals are not an option."
Martin Selmayr, secretary general of the European commission tweeted: "12 April is now the new 29 March".
12 April is now the new 29 March #Brexit
A big shift in the number of MPs opposed to the deal in recent days was of small comfort to Downing Street. It is losing control of the process and quickly running out of time.
After the vote, the prime minister's spokesperson said: "It wasn't the result we wanted, and the [prime minister] set out the reasons why she thinks the decision MPs took was a grave one. But that said, we have had a number of senior Conservative colleagues who have felt able to vote with the government today. They have done so in higher numbers than previously."
"Clearly there is also more work to do but we are at least going in the right direction," the spokesperson added.
May doesn't think a general election now would be in the country's interests, the Number 10 spokesperson said.
The latest failure by MPs to achieve consensus on the UK’s departure extends the uncertainty and chaos in Westminster and increases the likelihood of the UK crashing out of the EU without a deal — an outcome that many, including the prime minister, believe will be highly disruptive and economically damaging.
If Parliament can’t pass a deal by the EU’s April 12 deadline, the UK will have to leave the bloc without negotiated terms or seek a much longer extension to pursue an alternative route, such as a general election or second referendum. As BuzzFeed News reported on Thursday night, the EU is adamant that any long extension is conditional on the UK participating in European Parliament elections in May.
The prime minister has persisted in trying to pass her deal despite ferocious resistance including from her own MPs, insisting that it fulfils the mandate of the 2016 referendum by ending free movement of people and allowing Britain to pursue an independent trade policy while also maintaining a close relationship with the EU.
But her critics argue that her deal will mean the UK is beholden to Brussels long after it leaves the union. When May put it to the House the first time, in January, it lost by 230 votes — the biggest margin of defeat in Parliament in modern history. In March, May tried again but the agreement was again resoundingly rejected, this time by 149 votes.
John Bercow, the speaker of the House, told May that he would not allow the agreement to be put forward for another vote without substantial changes.
In the latest motion on Friday, the government asked MPs to vote only on the withdrawal terms included in her deal — which includes a £39 billion payment to settle the UK’s financial obligations, a two-year transition period, and the controversial Northern Irish “backstop” — and not the so-called political declaration that stipulates the shape of a future UK-EU relationship.
Had it passed, the UK would have started a phased exit from the EU on May 22, with the precise terms of its trading relationship with the union to be determined at a later date. With Parliament again rejecting the plan, the confusion about the way forward continues.
This week, in an unprecedented development, Parliament effectively seized control of the process and held a series of “indicative” votes on different outcomes, including staying in a customs union, holding a second referendum, or leaving with no-deal. None achieved a majority. MPs will try again on Monday to agree on an alternative.
Britain had originally been scheduled to leave the EU today, two years after May formally began the process of withdrawal by triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. However, after failing to get her agreement through the Commons the prime minister asked Brussels for more time.
At a European Council meeting last week, the other 27 member states agreed to extend until May 22 if Parliament passed the deal by today, or until April 12 if they didn’t.
In response to the vote on Friday, the European Commission said it is "fully prepared" for Britain to leave with no-deal in two weeks. It warned that the UK won't get any of the benefits of the withdrawal agreement, including the transition period, if it does.
While MPs voted, Brexit supporters were gathering outside to demonstrate in Parliament Square. Celebrations had been planned to mark the UK’s exit, but instead became a rally to protest against the delays.
These are the 34 Tory MPs who voted against the government:
Adam Afriyie
Steve Baker
John Baron
Guto Bebb
Peter Bone
Suella Braverman
Andrew Bridgen
Bill Cash
Chris Chope
James Duddridge
Mark Francois
Marcus Fysh
Justine Greening
Dominic Grieve
Sam Gyimah
Philip Hollobone
Adam Holloway
Ranil Jayawardena
Bernard Jenkin
Andrea Jenkyns
Jo Johnson
David Jones
Philip Lee
Julian Lewis
Julia Lopez
Craig Mackinlay
Anne Marie Morris
Priti Patel
Owen Paterson
John Redwood
Laurence Robertson
Andrew Rosindell
Lee Rowley
Theresa Villiers
