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Brexit Process Remains Deadlocked, but Theresa May Plans a Last-Ditch Vote on Friday Brexit Process Remains Deadlocked, but Theresa May Plans a Last-Ditch Vote on Friday
(about 8 hours later)
LONDON — Britain’s tottering efforts to leave the European Union remained at an impasse on Thursday as allies of Prime Minister Theresa May tried to keep her deal alive in the face of unbending opposition.LONDON — Britain’s tottering efforts to leave the European Union remained at an impasse on Thursday as allies of Prime Minister Theresa May tried to keep her deal alive in the face of unbending opposition.
The deal, already defeated twice in Parliament, was given new life on Wednesday after Mrs. May promised Conservative Party colleagues who are hard-line supporters of leaving the bloc that she would step down if it were passed, and let someone else take over the next stage of talks with Brussels for the process known as Brexit.The deal, already defeated twice in Parliament, was given new life on Wednesday after Mrs. May promised Conservative Party colleagues who are hard-line supporters of leaving the bloc that she would step down if it were passed, and let someone else take over the next stage of talks with Brussels for the process known as Brexit.
[Who could be Britain’s next prime minister? Here are some contenders.][Who could be Britain’s next prime minister? Here are some contenders.]
But even her offer to resign was not enough to assuage hard-line Conservatives or her putative allies in the Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland, or D.U.P., who hate the deal.But even her offer to resign was not enough to assuage hard-line Conservatives or her putative allies in the Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland, or D.U.P., who hate the deal.
So the government debuted a new tack on Thursday: Ministers said they would disassemble Mrs. May’s deal into its two parts — one called the withdrawal agreement, and the other the political declaration — and ask Parliament to vote Friday only on the first. So the government tried a new tack on Thursday: Ministers said they would disassemble Mrs. May’s deal into its two parts — one called the withdrawal agreement, and the other the political declaration — and ask Parliament to vote Friday only on the first.
The withdrawal agreement outlines the terms of Britain’s exit from the European Union, while the political declaration deals with the tangled question of its future relationship with the bloc.The withdrawal agreement outlines the terms of Britain’s exit from the European Union, while the political declaration deals with the tangled question of its future relationship with the bloc.
The speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, has said he would allow Parliament to vote again only if the plan had changed substantially since it had been rejected resoundingly — twice — and on Thursday he said the government had met that test.The speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, has said he would allow Parliament to vote again only if the plan had changed substantially since it had been rejected resoundingly — twice — and on Thursday he said the government had met that test.
Ministers were pitching the vote to pro-Brexit hard-liners as their last opportunity to secure Britain’s exit from the European Union in the coming months, lest anti-Europeans in Parliament take control and try to frustrate Brexit or force a longer delay. Ministers were pitching the vote to pro-Brexit hard-liners as their last opportunity to secure Britain’s exit from the European Union in the coming months, lest pro-Europeans in Parliament take control and try to frustrate Brexit or force a longer delay.
Ministers also hoped the date of the vote — March 29, the originally scheduled day for Britain’s exit — would put some symbolic pressure on pro-Brexit Conservatives to swallow their objections and back Mrs. May.Ministers also hoped the date of the vote — March 29, the originally scheduled day for Britain’s exit — would put some symbolic pressure on pro-Brexit Conservatives to swallow their objections and back Mrs. May.
But the withdrawal agreement contains some of the most contentious pieces of Mrs. May’s plan.But the withdrawal agreement contains some of the most contentious pieces of Mrs. May’s plan.
Among them is the so-called backstop that at least temporarily binds Britain and, to a greater extent, Northern Ireland, to European trading rules so as to avoid customs checks on the historically contentious border between Ireland, part of the European Union, and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. Among them is the so-called backstop that at least temporarily binds Britain and, to a greater extent, Northern Ireland to European trading rules so as to avoid customs checks on the historically contentious border between Ireland, part of the European Union, and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom.
Unionists in Northern Ireland reject the backstop because they believe it would create regulatory differences between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom, putting the union at risk.Unionists in Northern Ireland reject the backstop because they believe it would create regulatory differences between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom, putting the union at risk.
And British news media reports late Thursday said unionists intended to vote against Mrs. May’s plan again on Friday, considerably narrowing the prime minister’s path to victory.And British news media reports late Thursday said unionists intended to vote against Mrs. May’s plan again on Friday, considerably narrowing the prime minister’s path to victory.
There was some hope among Conservatives that splitting Mrs. May’s plan in two would strengthen her case with opposition Labour lawmakers, whose main objections are to the political declaration and not the withdrawal agreement.There was some hope among Conservatives that splitting Mrs. May’s plan in two would strengthen her case with opposition Labour lawmakers, whose main objections are to the political declaration and not the withdrawal agreement.
But Labour leaders reacted angrily to the idea on Thursday, noting that Mrs. May had previously said the two pieces of her plan were inextricably linked.But Labour leaders reacted angrily to the idea on Thursday, noting that Mrs. May had previously said the two pieces of her plan were inextricably linked.
Keir Starmer, a senior Labour official, warned on Thursday that splitting them “would leave us with the blindest of blindfold Brexits.” He was referring to Labour’s fear that, if Parliament passed part of Mrs. May’s plan and the prime minister resigned, a hard-line pro-Brexit politician like Boris Johnson would take over and shape the crucial next stage of negotiations.Keir Starmer, a senior Labour official, warned on Thursday that splitting them “would leave us with the blindest of blindfold Brexits.” He was referring to Labour’s fear that, if Parliament passed part of Mrs. May’s plan and the prime minister resigned, a hard-line pro-Brexit politician like Boris Johnson would take over and shape the crucial next stage of negotiations.
Stephen Doughty, a Labour member of Parliament, said, “This looks to me like trickery of the highest order.”Stephen Doughty, a Labour member of Parliament, said, “This looks to me like trickery of the highest order.”
Confusion swirled all day in Parliament about the government’s plans, with ministers leaving lawmakers in the dark about what they would be voting on Friday until late in the afternoon.Confusion swirled all day in Parliament about the government’s plans, with ministers leaving lawmakers in the dark about what they would be voting on Friday until late in the afternoon.
Meanwhile anti-Brexit lawmakers were working behind the scenes to pick a few alternate plans to put before Parliament on Monday, in case Mrs. May’s deal did not pass before then. At the same time, anti-Brexit lawmakers were working behind the scenes to pick a few alternate plans to put before Parliament on Monday, in case Mrs. May’s deal did not pass before then.
The anti-Brexit lawmakers were buoyed by votes in Parliament on Wednesday night on a catalog of proposals that clashed with Mrs. May’s.The anti-Brexit lawmakers were buoyed by votes in Parliament on Wednesday night on a catalog of proposals that clashed with Mrs. May’s.
Those included once-radical ideas like holding a second public vote on Brexit or revoking Britain’s decision to leave altogether, as well as Brexit plans that would see Britain keep closer ties to Europe than Mrs. May’s proposal envisioned.Those included once-radical ideas like holding a second public vote on Brexit or revoking Britain’s decision to leave altogether, as well as Brexit plans that would see Britain keep closer ties to Europe than Mrs. May’s proposal envisioned.
The votes represented the first time in two years of Brexit negotiations that Parliament was allowed to express its feelings about alternate plans, and some lawmakers hoped they would show a path to compromise.The votes represented the first time in two years of Brexit negotiations that Parliament was allowed to express its feelings about alternate plans, and some lawmakers hoped they would show a path to compromise.
But to the chagrin of Mrs. May’s opponents, all eight alternate plans failed to muster a majority, leading the British newspaper The Guardian to run this headline on its front page on Thursday: “No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No.”But to the chagrin of Mrs. May’s opponents, all eight alternate plans failed to muster a majority, leading the British newspaper The Guardian to run this headline on its front page on Thursday: “No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No.”
Some proposals got close. A plan for a customs union between Britain and the European Union lost by six votes. (Mr. Bercow said a tallying error had originally led him to say it was an eight-vote margin.)Some proposals got close. A plan for a customs union between Britain and the European Union lost by six votes. (Mr. Bercow said a tallying error had originally led him to say it was an eight-vote margin.)
And the option of holding another referendum to test Britons’ views about leaving the bloc attracted more support than expected: 268 members voted in favor, and 295 against.And the option of holding another referendum to test Britons’ views about leaving the bloc attracted more support than expected: 268 members voted in favor, and 295 against.
The result on the proposal for a second referendum, coming after a weekend when hundreds of thousands of people marched in London for another vote and more than five million signed a petition asking to cancel Brexit, was a sign of how the views of anti-Brexit politicians have grown more intense as the process drags on.The result on the proposal for a second referendum, coming after a weekend when hundreds of thousands of people marched in London for another vote and more than five million signed a petition asking to cancel Brexit, was a sign of how the views of anti-Brexit politicians have grown more intense as the process drags on.
The nonbinding votes set the stage for another round of debate in Parliament on Monday, when the menu of alternate options is to be whittled and politicians given a second chance to coalesce behind a new plan.The nonbinding votes set the stage for another round of debate in Parliament on Monday, when the menu of alternate options is to be whittled and politicians given a second chance to coalesce behind a new plan.
If Mrs. May’s withdrawal agreement passes on Friday, Parliament would meet the European Union’s deadline for completing the Brexit process and extracting Britain from the bloc by May 22.If Mrs. May’s withdrawal agreement passes on Friday, Parliament would meet the European Union’s deadline for completing the Brexit process and extracting Britain from the bloc by May 22.
If not, Britain could crash out of the bloc without a deal on April 12 in what analysts say would be a calamitous exit, or it could ask for a longer extension.If not, Britain could crash out of the bloc without a deal on April 12 in what analysts say would be a calamitous exit, or it could ask for a longer extension.
Mrs. May’s offer to resign was another reminder that, for all the anxiety in Britain over Brexit, Conservative Party politics are still dictated to a large degree by members’ leadership ambitions.Mrs. May’s offer to resign was another reminder that, for all the anxiety in Britain over Brexit, Conservative Party politics are still dictated to a large degree by members’ leadership ambitions.
Pro-Brexit politicians like Mr. Johnson have long been angling to take over from Mrs. May, and the chance to do so sooner rather than later seemed to be enough for many to back down from months of fierce opposition to her deal.Pro-Brexit politicians like Mr. Johnson have long been angling to take over from Mrs. May, and the chance to do so sooner rather than later seemed to be enough for many to back down from months of fierce opposition to her deal.
Mr. Johnson once said that Mrs. May’s deal had strapped a “suicide vest” around the country. Another hard-line pro-Brexit lawmaker, Jacob Rees-Mogg, said the prime minister’s plan would turn Britain into “a slave state.”Mr. Johnson once said that Mrs. May’s deal had strapped a “suicide vest” around the country. Another hard-line pro-Brexit lawmaker, Jacob Rees-Mogg, said the prime minister’s plan would turn Britain into “a slave state.”
On Wednesday, both said they would back her deal.On Wednesday, both said they would back her deal.