A few days before the decisive vote, the British MPs have introduced new obstacles to the case of a no-deal Brexit. The result reflects the weak position of Prime Minister May.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has suffered a setback in parliament. MEPs argued that if the government leaves the EU without a deal („no-deal-brexit“), it will need parliamentary approval before it can resort to certain powers in the tax code. 303 parliamentarians voted for this path, 296 against.
May’s office had downplayed the importance of the vote earlier and said it was a more technical thing. According to media reports, Parliament is to vote on 15 January on the agreement that May has negotiated with the EU to withdraw. The exit is open. In December, the prime minister postponed the vote in the short term after a rejection in Parliament. Resistance also came from May’s own party.
The government has stated that Britain will leave the EU without a deal if the lower house does not agree to the negotiated treaty with the international community. Exit date is 29th March so far. There had been speculation that the appointment could be postponed. Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier had recently warned that a disorderly Brexit would hit the economy in Europe and the UK very hard.
„This vote is an important step to prevent a no-deal Brexit,“ said opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn from the Labor Party, according to the British news channel BBC. „It shows that there is no majority in Parliament to withdraw from the EU without an agreement.“
There are only three months left until the exit date. Theresa May fights for approval for her Brexit deal. If the deal is rejected – what it looks like so far – threatens on March 29, an unregulated exit. A government spokesman said that change does not change the fact that the UK will leave the EU on 29 March. Parliament will ensure that the tax system works smoothly in all Brexit scenarios.
