UK Parliament to Vote on Part of May’s Brexit Deal in Last-Ditch Bid to Reach Some Agreement

By Staff, Agencies

After two defeats in a row for her Brexit deal, British Prime Minister Theresa May went for a gambit, having MPs agree to vote only for part of the deal that allows the UK to leave the EU, but does not set out a framework for a future relationship.

The vote, which is set for 2:30pm GMT on Friday, was made possible by May’s last-minute maneuver to sidestep House Speaker John Bercow’s move to disallow a third “meaningful vote” on her Brexit deal after it had already been defeated twice.

Instead of persuading MPs to reconsider and get them to vote for the deal for a second time in one session, which is prohibited under procedural rules studiously observed by Bercow, May split her proposal in two uneven parts.

British lawmakers on Friday are voting for the most substantial and hefty part in terms of sheer volume and importance – the 585-page ‘Withdrawal Agreement’ that regulates the practical terms of the elusive divorce.

The WA stipulates how much [$51 billion] the UK is to pay to settle matters with the EU, and includes the Irish backstop.

This has become the bone of contention between May’s Conservatives and the Democratic Unionist Party [DUP], whose votes May desperately needs to secure the deal and eventually bow out as she has promised.

The part that MPs are not voting on is the political declaration, a 36-page document that sets out a framework for relations between the EU and the UK post-Brexit. Originally part of the Brexit deal, the declaration is set to pave the way for the next round of negotiations, while touching on matters of sovereignty, freedom of movement, and a customs arrangement.