Parliament Rejects Theresa May's Brexit Withdrawal Deal For The Second Time

Theresa May has lost a second significant vote in Parliament on her withdrawal agreement from the European Union.

A total of 391 Members of Parliament voted against the deal, with 242 supporting the Prime Minister.

Following the vote, Mrs May said tomorrow will see a debate and vote on leaving the EU without a deal in place.

The Prime Minister told the House that she 'profoundly regrets' the MPs' decision, adding that she was aware of the 'potential damage' that would created by a no deal Brexit and would urge the Commons to vote against doing so.

Jeremy Corbyn, the Leader of the Opposition, said the House must unite around a proposal that could be negotiate, and Labour would put its own plan forward once more.

He also suggested it might be time for a general election.

This latest defeat for the Government creates further Brexit uncertainty and leave nearly every possible outcome still on the table with just weeks to go before the 29 March deadline.

Despite Mrs May making several trips to Europe in an attempt to make her deal more palatable to Members of the House and to seek further assurances on key issues, she has once again failed to get her deal approved by the House of Commons.

The deal was rejected by both the European Research Group (ERG) - led by Jacob Rees-Mogg - and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) - the Tories 'confidence and supply' partners in Government, without whom they wouldn't be in power.

Rees-Mogg spoke before the vote and said: "In the light of our own legal analysis and others we do not recommend accepting the government's motion today."

The DUP released an extensive statement that argued that 'sufficient progress has not been achieved at this time'.

If MPs decide that a 'No Deal' Brexit is not in the UK's best interests, Mrs May confirmed, a further vote will be held on Thursday to decide whether the UK should request an extension to the deadline from the EU.

Before the vote, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said that Parliament was no longer willing to bear what he saw as the PM's delaying tactics.

Mr Corbyn said: "Time and time again this prime minister has failed to negotiate, refused to compromise, and delayed and delayed.

"After three months the prime minister has not achieved one single change to her deal; she is simply running down the clock."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: UK News, brexit, UK, Politics

Tom Wood

Tom Wood is a freelance journalist and LADbible contributor. He graduated from University of London with a BA in Philosophy before studying for a Masters in Journalism at the University of Salford. He has previously written for the M.E.N Group as well as working for several top professional sports clubs. Contact him on [email protected]

@TPWagwim