Theresa May Loses Critical Brexit Vote, U.K. Heads Towards No Deal
WHAT NOW?
Theresa May’s Brexit deal, which she negotiated with the European Union in an attempt to give the U.K. the smoothest possible exit from the bloc, has been overwhelmingly rejected by British lawmakers. Members of Parliament voted to reject the deal 432 to 202. The rejection of the deal—which was the sum total of May’s two years of work—leaves the future of the prime minister and the U.K. deeply uncertain. The country is still due to leave the EU at the end of March this year. If a deal can’t win the support of a majority of lawmakers by then, and May doesn’t attempt to extend the deadline of the exit, Britain would crash out of the EU with no deal in place. Such a scenario would see the British economy shrink by 9.3 percent, according to the British government’s own analysis. May can now attempt to win more concessions from the EU and ask British lawmakers to vote on the deal again, proceed with the risky no deal option, or roll the dice with another referendum and let the public decide what they want. The opposition Labour party may also call for a no confidence vote in the government which could ultimately lead to a general election.