Britain’s Prime Minister, Theresa May faced a historic parliamentary defeat as the House of Commons voted against the Brexit deal by 432 to 202, marking a majority of 230 votes. The PM will now face a confidence vote
The House of Commons vote against the Brexit deal by a majority of 230 votes vanquished British Prime Minister, Theresa May. Soon after the Brexit verdict was declared by the MPs, the Prime Minister announced that she would be willing to face a vote of no confidence in government. The confidence vote was initially tabled by Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn and supported by Members of Parliament from the Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru, Lib Dems, and the Green Party.
After the final verdict was announced on Tuesday, PM Theresa May said, “The house has spoken and the government will listen,” adding, “It is clear that the House does not support this deal, but tonight’s vote tells us nothing about what it does support.” What is being referred to as the biggest defeat in Britain’s democratic history in over a century came after British MPs voted against the deal by 432 to 202. The leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn averred, “This is a catastrophic defeat. The house has delivered its verdict on her (PM Theresa May) deal. Delay and denial has reached the end of the line.”
The Prime Minister has asserted that if she gets through the confidence vote, scheduled for Wednesday evening, she would like to “identify what would be required to secure the backing of the house”. Reportedly, PM Theresa May plans on holding meetings with senior Parliamentarians on Thursday. According to Downing Street, the Prime Minister will now aim at finding solutions that would result in a more acceptable Brexit deal.
The Prime Minister has now spent almost two years negotiating the deal, flying in and out of Brussels. She made several efforts to ensure a smooth Brexit, setting up a 21-month transition period. As a result, Tuesday’s defeat in the House of Commons also marked a major setback and personal defeat for Prime Minister Theresa May.
Ahead of the no confidence vote, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said a verdict on the “sheer incompetence of this government” needs to be discussed by the MPs.
