Parliament rules out no-deal Brexit in non-binding vote

(Image credit: Dan Kitwood / Getty Images)

published 13 March 2019

It was a chaotic series of events at Westminster on Wednesday, as the British Parliament ultimately agreed to rule out a no-deal Brexit after three separate votes.

The first vote resulted in a much narrower outcome than Tuesday's lopsided vote to strike down Prime Minister Theresa May's withdrawal agreement: British parliament decided on Wednesday to rule out a "no-deal" Brexit at any point by a mere four votes — 312 to 308.

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Wednesday's votes, it's worth noting, are not legally binding — the U.K. could very well still leave the European Union without a deal, unless separate legislation is passed, The Guardian reports. Instead it means that MPs will now have the opportunity to, you guessed it, vote again tomorrow, which May confirmed. That vote will be to see whether article 50, which currently triggers the U.K.'s departure on March 29, will be delayed, though the EU will also have to agree to the extension.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.

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