MPs support Brexit delay but reject second referendum

In case you missed all the action, here’s our coverage of this evening’s vote, which saw British lawmakers vote to delay to the Brexit process. If she can secure a deal by next week, Prime Minister Theresa May will seek a short extension from Brussels to a date no later than June 30.

In the meantime, you can read Luke McGee’s analysis about why—after three nights of dramatic, confusing and chaotic votes in the House of Commons—things are looking a little different.

In a sign of the divisions that continue to plague Theresa May’s Conservative Party, eight Cabinet ministers and 188 of her MPs (more than half of her parliamentary bloc) refused to support her motion to delay Brexit.

Even her own Brexit Secretary, Stephen Barclay, failed to back the motion.

A number of business chiefs have welcomed the UK Parliament’s decision to support a Brexit delay, but have warned that Britain’s future remains on a “knife edge.”

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said parliament’s rejection of a no-deal and support for a Brexit delay showed there was still “common sense” in Westminster. It added that the government must now adopt a “radically new approach” to find consensus among MPs.

While the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said the prospect of a delay offers a “glimmer of hope,” a no-deal Brexit still remains on the table.

According to Britain’s Press Association, BRC chief Helen Dickinson warned that unless there is “definitive action” by lawmakers within the next six days, the UK will crash out of the EU in 15 days which “would inevitably lead to higher prices and less choice on the shelves for consumers.”

Theresa May can go to bed happy, sort of. Yes, 188 members of her own party voted against her motion, but she avoided another major defeat and can now lay the ground for a third meaningful vote on her Brexit deal – which will take place before next Wednesday, March 20.

Why before then? Because the very next day, May travels to Brussels for the EU Council Summit, where she will meet with all of the other 27 EU leaders for the final time ahead of Brexit. Or, at least, for the final time ahead of Brexit *as things stand*.?

It’s at this summit that May will request the extension of Article 50, thereby delaying Brexit.?

For how long depends on what happens in meaningful vote 3. If she overturns her 149 vote loss of Tuesday, then the request will be for Brexit to be delayed until June 30. If she loses for a third time, then goodness knows what happens. And if either request is declined, then Brexit happens on March 29, with or without a deal.?

An EU Commission Spokesperson has reiterated that any delay to the Brexit process must be approved by all 27 member states.

Read the full statement here:

Despite telling his MPs to abstain from voting on the second referendum amendment, opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn has told parliament that the party still supports a public vote.

“I reiterate our support on a public vote – not as a politically point-scoring, but as a realistic option to break the deadlock,” Corbyn told the House of Commons.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn from the UK's main opposition party.

More than 200 members from the UK’s main opposition party abstained from voting on whether to give the British public a second referendum.

He said the past few days of “government chaos” have put responsibility on Prime Minister Theresa May to not only delay Britain’s exit from the European Union, but also to “publicly accept that both her deal and no-deal are simply no longer viable options.”

UK lawmakers have voted in favor of delaying the Brexit process, acknowledging that more time is needed to break the deadlock over Britain’s departure from the EU.?

The motion instructs Prime Minister Theresa May to seek an extension to Article 50, the legal process under which Britain is leaving the?European Union. Any delay beyond March 29 would require unanimous approval from the remaining 27 EU member states.?

The Prime Minister is now likely to seek the extension at a European Council summit in Brussels next?Thursday,?after putting her twice-rejected divorce deal back to the House of Commons earlier in the week.

May has warned?that a longer delay to Brexit will be required if her deal is rejected a third time. That would force the UK to take part in elections to the European Parliament in May.

Results are expected in under 15 minutes.

British lawmakers have rejected an amendment that was brought forward by opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn that called for a delay in order for parliament “to find a majority for a different approach” to Brexit.

It noted that parliament had “decisively” rejected both Theresa May’s deal and a no-deal Brexit.

Labour MP Ruth Smeeth has resigned after the lead opposition party called on its members to abstain on the amendment that was calling for a second referendum.

She represents a constituency that largely voted to leave the European Union.

“This was a difficult decision but I have a duty to support the will of my constituents,” Smeeth wrote on Twitter.

“We need to leave, and leave with a deal that works for the Potteries,” she added, referring to the region.

Though a win by two votes might not seem much to celebrate, seeing off a backbench attempt by opposition MPs to take control out of Theresa May’s hands is great news for the Prime Minister. A day of indicative votes before she heads to Brussels a week from now would have been problematic and likely unhelpful. It would have also been a hit to her credibility.

Results expected in under 15 minutes.

British MPs narrowly rejected an amendment giving parliament the opportunity to take control of the process from Theresa May’s embattled government by 314 votes to 312.

It would have given lawmakers – instead of the government – the power to control the parliamentary agenda, including debating Brexit without a time limit.

It comes after they overwhelmingly rejected calls for a second referendum.

British lawmakers in the House of Commons.

Results expected in under 15 minutes.

UK lawmakers rejected a move to support a second referendum on Brexit by 334 votes to 85. It’s a blow to campaigners for a so-called People’s Vote.

The cross-party proposal was the first time the House of Commons has held a formal vote on?whether to endorse?another referendum.

The vote on the amendment was indicative and would not have been legally binding if it had passed. It also doesn’t rule out the possibility of parliament revisiting the idea down the line.

Lawmakers will now vote on further amendments before voting on the government’s main motion that could delay Brexit.

Results expected in under 15 minutes

A source close to Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, has told CNN that European leaders have already begun the debate on whether to grant the UK an extension to Article 50.

The source said member states were still making up their minds about an extension and that there had not been a discussion with all members yet.

“What we are talking about is the UK leaving the EU. It’s too important to take the risk [of a no deal by accident] for short-term political gains.”

Donald Tusk, President of the European Council.

The source added that Tusk does not believe a short extension will make a difference, if Theresa May’s Brexit deal does not get approved by UK lawmakers.

“If they can’t agree now, why would they agree in a few months? A short-term extension would increase the risk of a no deal by accident,” the source said, adding it would be better to grant the UK an extension “of at least a year.”

“They will have time to think it over, build a consensus and get back to the EU,” the source said, adding that way it allows EU members to “get on with their business.”

“In Brexit there are no winners,” the source added. “Everything is about limiting the damage. A long extension might be the best way to do that.”

“We can do a very big trade deal with the UK,” US President Donald Trump said during a press conference with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar in the Oval Office.

Trump also added that the US was re-negotiating its trade deal with the EU.

“If they don’t talk to us we’re going to do something that’s going to be pretty severe economically,” he warned. “We’re going to tariff a lot of their products coming – because the EU treats us very unfairly.”

Trump added: “It will probably work out, they’re negotiating. Otherwise we’re going to do something that’s pretty good for the United States.”

US President Donald Trump also weighed in on the prospect of holding a second referendum, which will be voted upon by lawmakers later today.

“I don’t think another vote would be possible because it would be very unfair to the people that won,” Trump said, adding: “Both sides are very very.. they’re cemented in. It’s a tough situation.”

Speaking in the Oval Office after meeting with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, US President Donald Trump has said Brexit is “tearing countries apart.”

“It’s a very complex thing, it’s tearing a country apart. It’s actually tearing a lot of countries apart. And it’s a shame that it has to be that way, but I think we will stay right in our lane, we’re doing fantastically as a country,” Trump said.

US President Donald Trump with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.

The President added that he was surprised “how badly” negotiations have gone.

“I gave the Prime Minister my ideas of how to negotiate it, she didn’t listen to that and that’s fine but it could have been negotiated in a different manner,” he said.

Trump also added that the EU “has been very tough to deal with.”

“Franky it’s been very one-sided for many, many years.”

The opposition Labour Party will not support today’s amendment calling for a second referendum, Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer said.

“Today is about extension and about the process … the Labour Party is supporting the public vote on any deal that gets through by the Prime Minister, but today is about a different issue,” Starmer said.

The Labour Party threw its support behind a second Brexit referendum last month “to prevent a damaging Tory Brexit being forced on the country” after its proposed amendments to Theresa May’s deal were rejected.

After Speaker of the House John Bercow’s selection of an amendment calling for a second EU referendum caused an outcry from Brexiteers, the House of Commons released this video explaining the process. According to Bercow, this is what he considers in choosing an amendment for debate and, ultimately, vote: is it orderly, does it relate to the motion’s purpose, does it have a range of support, will it help the House reach a conclusion that might be helpful in considering the motion?

The People’s Vote campaign, a group pushing for a second referendum, has said that it is not asking its supporters to vote for an amendment calling for exactly that.

In a statement echoing a tweet from Alastair Campbell, a leading member of the People’s Vote, the group argues that now is not the time for MPs to vote for a second referendum.

Here’s the full statement:

Cabinet Office Minister?David Lidington, May’s de facto deputy, has reiterated the government’s opposition to a second EU referendum, which would require a longer Brexit delay.

Lidington said that holding another referendum “would reopen the divisions” seen in the 2016 vote and “damage the already fragile trust between the public and members of this House.”

He also warned that a delay beyond European elections, which take place at the end of May, would mean the UK would have to talk part.

Yes, an amendment has been selected that could tell the government that lawmakers favor Brexit being put to the public a second time.?

Yes, that amendment also says that remaining in the European Union must be on that ballot.?

But as with so many things Brexit, it would be helpful if lawmakers brushed up on a little thing we call “the law.”

For a second referendum to be called, it would have to pass an act of parliament. In short, that means a bill being put before lawmakers, the bill being read numerous times in both legislative chambers and a committee process. The question would also have to be tested by the Electoral Commission.?

Tonight’s vote is only indicative. It is currently considered unlikely to pass, and even if it does, it would do so with oven gloves on. An actual vote on a bill would be a different matter altogether.?

It would also mean a lengthy extension of the Brexit process, as holding a big public vote requires *a little bit of organizing*. For MPs worried of being accused of betraying the democratic will of the people, that will be a huge concern.?

Finally, that extension would have to be approved by European Union. There is a strange assumption in London that Europe wants a second referendum. What the EU wants is stability. A referendum does not provide that; voting for a Brexit deal does.?

Brexiteer MPs have hit out at Speaker of the House John Bercow’s decision to select an amendment calling for a second Brexit referendum.

Eurosceptic MP Mark Francois complained in parliament that Bercow failed to call another amendment ruling out another vote on the UK’s membership of the European Union, which was signed by more than 100 MPs.

Bercow responded that?“members do have to take the rough with the smooth,” without going into detail on his selection process.

Another Conservative MP, Sir Bernard Jenkin, said there might be “some concern”?over allowing MPs a vote on a second referendum.

UK Parliament has begun debating the government motion on whether to extend Article 50, the mechanism whereby member states can quit the EU, as well as amendments tabled by MPs.

Speaker of the House John Bercow has selected the following amendments, which MPs will begin debating shortly.

Amendment (h) Seeks an extension to Article 50 to give enough time to legislate for and hold a second referendum on whether to leave the EU, with remain and parliament’s preferred Brexit option on the ballot paper.

Amendment (i) Seeks to allow MPs to take control of the Brexit process.

Amendment (e) Notes that parliament has “decisively” rejected both Theresa May’s deal and no deal and calls for a delay to Brexit “to provide parliamentary time for this House to find a majority for a different approach.”

Amendment (j) Aims to stop a third meaningful vote on May’s deal.

British lawmakers have been given a vote on a second referendum, one of four amendments selected by Speaker of the House John Bercow.

US President Donald Trump has tweeted that he “looks forward to negotiating a large scale Trade Deal with the United Kingdom,” describing its potential as “unlimited,” just hours before another big Brexit vote.

If Britain’s parliament fails to agree a Brexit deal and does not secure an extension to Article 50, the UK will quit the EU and the bloc’s single market on March 29. Until it secures trade arrangements with individual countries, the UK would operate under WTO rules.

An opposition Labour Party politician has proposed an amendment to Theresa May’s motion to extend Article 50, which would effectively allow lawmakers to take control over parliamentary proceedings.

If passed, the amendment tabled by MP Hilary Benn would enable parliament to direct proceedings for a single day – Wednesday, March 20 – suspending House of Commons conventions that state the government controls the order of business.

The move, which would allow the Speaker of the House of Commons to call votes on certain amendments relating to Brexit at the end of that day, is timed carefully.

May is sure to table a third “meaningful vote” on her beleaguered Brexit deal before the EU convenes for a summit on March 21. The amendment anticipates that the agreement will fail a third time, and provides for parliament to express its view on Britain’s future relationship with the EU before the EU27 leaders meet to discuss?Brexit.

The European Parliament’s chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt, who opposes a lengthy Brexit delay, has said that if Britain is to be granted an extension to the Brexit process, the government must set out its reasons clearly. “Under no circumstances” should the UK be granted “an extension in the dark.”

European Council President?Donald Tusk said earlier in the day that he would back a “long extension,” if the UK decides that it needs it.

Nearly 9 out of 10 businesses say they want a delay to Brexit, the Confederation of British Industry has revealed, hours before lawmakers return to parliament to vote on just that issue.

A CBI survey of services, manufacturing and distribution sectors released on Thursday indicates that just 8% of 273 companies polled reject an extension to Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union.

“An overwhelming majority of businesses want an extension to Article 50 which should be as short as possible, but as long as is necessary,” Josh Hardie, CBI Deputy Director-General, said in a statement, adding that any extra time “must be used by MPs to finally craft a solution that protects livelihoods and communities across the UK.”

The survey of 273 firms found that:

The UK government has set out the parameters for extending Article 50 in a document published ahead of Thursday’s vote.

It states that in the event that the House of Commons votes for an extension, “it would be appropriate for the Prime Minister to write to the President of the European Council, setting out why the UK was requesting an extension and for how long.”

The document also flirts with the possibility of the UK participating in the upcoming European Parliament (EP) elections in May, saying that if the UK were to request an extension period beyond July 1 the UK “would need to participate in the EP elections.”

UK Prime Minister Theresa May should back an Article 50 extension and use the delay to “rethink” her Brexit strategy, Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Twitter.

“If you are a Brexiteer, what does it say about your project if it has to be founded on a deal that a majority believes to be fundamentally flawed,” Sturgeon said. “That cannot be the way to proceed – which is why PM should accept defeat, change course and accept this opportunity for a rethink.”

Scotland voted overwhelmingly to remain in the European Union in 2016, two years after holding its own independence referendum on seceding from the United Kingdom (when it voted by 55% to stay).

But now, with the current political quagmire in Westminster, Sturgeon and other members of her Scottish National Party are calling for a second vote on independence.

Prime Minister Theresa May is facing calls to regain control of her party after Conservative ministers and Cabinet members defied her in Wednesday night’s vote.

“Her authority was openly defied by Cabinet ministers and other ministers,” Nigel Evans, a Conservative Brexiteer, told the UK’s Press Association, referring to May’s attempt to whip against her own motion.

A government source told CNN that once the Spelman amendment – rejecting a no-deal Brexit at any time and under any circumstances – passed, it made May’s motion unacceptable as it directly contradicted government policy. And when May tried to whip her ministers to vote against her own motion she lost.

“She needs to reassert her authority. We have to have collective responsibility in government, otherwise it just simply doesn’t work,” Evans added.

Another former Conservative minister, George Freeman, has suggested in a Twitter post that May should offer to resign in order to get support for her deal.

French President Emmanuel Macron at a press conference following a meeting at the African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa, on March 13.

French President Emmanuel Macron has said that any extension to Brexit could only be “technical,” ahead of a vote in UK Parliament on whether to delay the withdrawal process.

“If the British ask for a delay it could perhaps be a technical delay to allow more time to put their departure in place,” Macron, who is currently in Kenya, said.

But he added that the UK would need a reason for the European Union to grant them an additional delay “to ensure something will come out of it.” The heads of all 27 remaining EU countries would have to approve any request to extend Article 50.

“It cannot be to allow more negotiations over something we’ve already negotiated for many months and said cannot be further negotiated,” Macron said, underlining the EU position that they will provide no more concessions on the Brexit deal struck with Prime Minister Theresa May.

“The solution to this impasse is in London.”

Lawmakers have soundly rejected crashing out of the EU without a deal on March 29.

But last night’s vote against a no-deal Brexit would not actually prevent the UK leaving the EU on March 29, since Article 50, which mandates the UK’s departure, has already been triggered.

So, now that a “no deal” has been rejected, lawmakers will vote today on whether they support delaying the divorce process entirely.

If they back that, the PM will have to put in an Article 50 extension request to the EU.

The heads of all 27 remaining EU countries would have to approve any such request.

European Council President Donald Tusk has said he will back a Brexit delay, if the UK Parliament votes tonight to extend Article 50, the mechanism by which member states can quit the EU.

Tusk said in a tweet on Thursday that he would appeal to the 27 European Union leaders to “be open to a long extension if the UK finds it necessary to rethink its Brexit strategy and build consensus around it.”

If British lawmakers vote to delay Brexit tonight, Prime Minister Theresa May will have to put in an Article 50 extension request to the EU. The heads of all remaining EU leaders would have to approve any such request.

Today the UK Parliament will vote on another motion over whether to delay the divorce process beyond the March 29 deadline.

The government’s motion will ask MPs to back an extension until June 30, in order to pass EU exit legislation. Any extension would need to be approved by the EU.

The motion also points out that any extension beyond June 30 “would require the United Kingdom to hold European Parliament elections in May.”

Mid-morning: The House of Commons will begin debating the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union.

12 p.m.: European Commission, which is currently meeting in Strasbourg, will hold a midday press briefing.

5 p.m.: MPs start to vote, first on amendments, if any are selected, then on whether to extend the period specified in Article 50