United Kingdom lawmakers for the third time rejected Theresa May’s EU withdrawal agreement on Friday. Her government lost the vote by a narrow margin of 58. This means that UK will now miss EU deadline set for 22nd of May to leave with a deal.
The prime minister said the UK would have to find “an alternative way forward”, which was “almost certain” to involve holding further talks with the European Union.
PM May now has until the 12th of April to seek a longer extension to the negotiation process to avoid a no deal Brexit. The MPs will now hold votes on alternative plans on Monday. The prime minister said that the outcome was “a matter of profound regret”, adding that “I fear we are reaching the limits of this process in this House”.
Soon after the the vote, European Council President Donald Tusk tweeted, “In view of the rejection of the Withdrawal Agreement by the House of Commons, I have decided to call a European Council on 10 April.”
In a statement, the European Commission said, “A ‘no-deal’ scenario on 12 April is now a likely scenario. The EU has been preparing for this since December 2017 and is now fully prepared for a ‘no-deal’ scenario at midnight on 12 April. The EU will remain united.”
“The benefits of the withdrawal agreement, including a transition period, will in no circumstances be replicated in a ‘no-deal’ scenario. Sectoral mini-deals are not an option,” the statement added.
Opposition leader from the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said, “The House has been clear, this deal now has to change. There has to be an alternative found. And if the prime minister can’t accept that then she must go, not at an indeterminate date in the future but now. So that we can decide the future of this country through a general election.”
After the rejection of Theresa May’s EU withdrawal agreement the chorus for her to quit just got stronger, however the prime minister will most likely still push for the lawmakers to approve her deal throughout the discussions next week.