Theresa May is offering up another Brexit referendum in her 'last chance' attempt to secure a deal
U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit push is getting desperate.
After three consecutive Parliamentary rejections of her deals to exit the EU, May on Tuesday told MPs that she'd let them vote to hold a second Brexit referendum and possibly make the whole plan disappear altogether. There's just one condition: MPs have to vote for May's most recent EU-approved deal first, Reuters reports.
May will execute her fourth and likely final Brexit deal vote in June. And to make that last effort count, May said Tuesday that she'd include a provision in the deal that allows the House of Commons to vote to hold a second referendum, which "must take place before the Withdrawal Agreement can be ratified," CNBC reports. That effectively means that MPs could opt to hold another nationwide vote on leaving the EU, but if voters reject Brexit in a second referendum, that deal and Brexit will be scrapped altogether.
Subscribe to 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.
Since the U.K. voted to leave the EU two years ago, every deal May and other MPs have put on the table to do so have been flatly rejected. May has since narrowly survived two confidence votes in her leadership, and said in March that she'd resign if Parliament just agreed to the Brexit plan she'd proposed so many times. Yet even May's sacrificial lamb move wasn't enough for May's opposition Labour Party. Its leader Jeremy Corbyn started calling for a second Brexit referendum in February, and said last week that the talks "have gone as far as they can." That revelation left May accepting calls to officially draft her departure plan.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
US-Israel rift widens after UN cease-fire resolution
Speed Read The U.S. declined to veto a U.N. resolution calling for a two-week "immediate cease-fire" in Gaza
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Four key tax changes to prepare for in April
The Explainer With time running out, a last-minute checklist could help you make the most of your allowances
By Marc Shoffman, The Week UK Published
-
Covid four years on: have we got over the pandemic?
Today's Big Question Brits suffering from both lockdown nostalgia and collective trauma that refuses to go away
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
US-Israel rift widens after UN cease-fire resolution
Speed Read The U.S. declined to veto a U.N. resolution calling for a two-week "immediate cease-fire" in Gaza
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New Jersey first lady exits race to replace Menendez
Speed Read Tammy Murphy dropping out paves the way for Rep. Andy Kim to become the state's next senator
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Russia blames Ukraine for deadly ISIS Moscow attack
Speed Read Putin has ignored the Islamic State's claim of responsibility for the concert hall shooting
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump-RNC pact puts Trump legal bills ahead of GOP
Speed Read The former president has struck a deal with the Republican National Committee to put donations toward his legal bills
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Vietnam president resigns amid scandal
Speed Read Vietnam loses its second president in two years as Vo Van Thuong steps down
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Texas migrant law in limbo after Supreme Court OK
Speed Read The law has been blocked again, mere hours after the Supreme Court allowed the state to arrest migrants
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Cubans rally for 'power and food' in rare protests
Speed Read The protests came after 18-hour rolling blackouts and food supply shortages
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Why Trump cannot raise bond to avert asset seizure
speed read If the former president does not post the $454M bond in his civil fraud case by Monday, his assets can be seized
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published