After the British Parliament crushed Prime Minister May’s Brexit deal in what was the biggest defeat for any UK government in the modern parliamentary era, the European Union is once again unsure whether Britain will actually leave the bloc. The vote prolongs the agony in the efforts to hammer out a Brexit divorce deal and further distracts both sides from dealing with their own pressing problems. The members of the British Parliament rejected outright Ms. May’s plan in a vote 432:202.
Some EU leaders, notably Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, commented following the vote that he would be open for a delay in the divorce from the EU. “If London presents a proper strategy and a plan, then postponing the withdrawal date by a couple of months could be conceivable,” Mr. Kurz said. In the meantime, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said over the weekend that she felt a responsibility to get an orderly solution and promised to do everything she could to finalize the deal and find a conciliatory common ground.
“I will work until the very last day to get a solution with a deal for Britain’s exit from the EU and I will work towards having the best relationship,” Ms. Merkel commented and added that the EU had a responsibility to shape the divorce proceedings “so that people don’t shake their heads at us in 50 years time and say why weren’t they in a position to make a compromise?”. The British Parliament’s “no” has thrown things into chaos, with options ranging from a ‘no Brexit’ to a ‘no-deal Brexit’.
