Theresa May has suffered another embarrassing defeat in the House of Commons, after her latest attempt to win support for a renegotiated Brexit deal failed.
The vote was effectively scuttled by the European Research Group (ERG) Eurosceptic MPs led by Jacob Rees-Mogg, who abstained from the vote because “it appeared to rule out a no-deal Brexit”, The Guardian says.
May has “consistently rejected calls to rule out a no-deal Brexit”, The BBC says, however some Tories believed that the wording of the government motion still “opened the door for that”.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In the end, the result of the vote was a disappointing one for the prime minister, with the deal being defeated, 303 votes to 258, a 45 vote shortfall. May had been counting on a win to help her to pressure the EU to reopen negotiations.
Following the loss, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called on the prime minister to admit that she had failed to deliver a Brexit strategy, accusing her of simply “running down the clock and hoping something will turn up”.
May was not present in the Commons, having reportedly been advised that she was going to lose another vote, stifling opposition chances to address the prime minister directly.
“I was going to ask her to come to the despatch box now and admit that her strategy has failed,” Corbyn said. “The government cannot go on ignoring Parliament or ploughing on without a coherent plan.”
-
A running list of the US government figures Donald Trump has pardonedin depth Clearing the slate for his favorite elected officials
-
Ski town strikers fight rising cost of livingThe Explainer Telluride is the latest ski resort experiencing an instructor strike
-
‘Space is one of the few areas of bipartisan agreement in Washington’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
