A rest of humor Theresa May has apparently preserved. Even now that Britain is heading for a chaotic Brexit final; her own authority as Prime Minister has long been in ruins; because she – shaken by illness – can defend her policy in the lower house only croaking.
She may not have a voice, says May. „But I understand the voice of the country.“
It is Wednesday lunchtime, the weekly question time in Parliament, for months the British Prime Minister has been repeating her Brexit principles here: a limitation of immigration, new trade options, independence from Brussels laws – May thinks it has to deliver that to the Brexit referendum of 2016 to meet.
The little pun with the voice, it has a bitter core. Almost stubborn May repeats the demands again this time. They are like a piece of habit in quaint Brexit days. But what role do they play now?It has long been a matter of principle: The previous day, Ms Mma rejected the exit treaty negotiated with the EU for the second time. Now, in the evening, it’s about the question of what should happen instead. A Brexit without agreement?
May had promised the parliamentarians the decision. She even wanted to vote against „No Deal,“ and that, despite months of stress, „No deal is better than a bad deal.“
But May had – as so often – left a back door open. The Parliament should reject a withdrawal without agreement on March 29, the previous Brexit deadline. At the same time, however, one finds that „no deal“ is the state of affairs, as long as Britain and the EU do not agree on an agreement.
A decision for now, so that should be – completely off the table should not be an unregulated Brexit. It was Mays renewed attempt to bring together the bitterly disputed camps of their party – Proeuropäer, which reject the Brexit in principle, and EU opponents, who would prefer to get out without compromise from the Union.
And it was May’s attempt to save some of her biggest leverage in the Brexit talks. May does not want a no-deal scenario. Fear of the economic consequences of an unresolved Brexit, it has always been their hope, could lead doubting MPs to vote for their treaty with Brussels.
But under much pressure from Parliament, May had largely given up this tactical instrument by offering MEPs the opportunity to reject tough Brexit. With their request now submitted, it was apparently the calculation, should the „No Deal“ -drohkulisse at least partially preserved.
But the plan does not work out this evening.
Because there are Caroline Spelman and Jack Dromey, who submit an amendment with a nonpartisan group. They want to reject the EU exit without a contract in general – without restriction. The initiators had already passed through this request in January. But because the decisions are not binding, the government at that time hardly cared. This time it should be different. And Spelman and Dromey succeed.
