Brexit talks in Brussels are deadlocked with just a day to go until Theresa May puts her deal back to Parliament. It’s expected to be rejected, putting the prime minister’s survival in doubt, but also opening up the prospect of Brexit being delayed, diluted or even abandoned.
Key Developments:
- Government is still considering whether to hold vote on Brexit deal on Tuesday, person familiar with the matter says
- Labour’s John McDonnell says party could propose no-confidence vote if government fails to get deal through Parliament
- Talks are deadlocked, says U.K.
- Cabinet minister Leadsom says Parliament could get more chances to vote on deal if EU comes up with new concessions after Tuesday
Responding to speculation that May could pull or even abstain in Tuesday’s vote on her Brexit deal, Labour MP Yvette Cooper said doing so would be a “derogation of duty” and called on the prime minister to change her approach.
Cooper said May had allowed the pro-Brexit Conservative caucus to “hijack the government and hijack the country,” and that the main obstacle to getting a deal through Parliament was not the so-called Irish backstop, but rather May’s failure to build a consensus and her avoidance of clarity on the future.
“I feel personally angry at the prime minister for doing this to the country,” Cooper said in a speech. “Her handling of the Brexit process has proved reckless and irresponsible. She cannot be allowed to carry on like this.”
Govt Still Weighing Whether to Put Deal to Vote (11:35 a.m.)
May’s team is still weighing up whether to put her Brexit deal to a vote on Tuesday, as it considers other options, according to a person familiar with the situation. One option is for the government to put forward an aspirational motion setting out a deal Parliament would be prepared to support.
Labour Would Whip MPs to Back Referendum (11:30 a.m.)
Labour’s Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said in a speech in London the party would whip its lawmakers to support a second referendum when the the party submits an amendment on the issue—though he also said he’d respect those who decided not to vote with the party.
EU: No Further May-Juncker Meetings Scheduled (11:15 a.m.)
There are no further meetings planned at a political level between the EU and the U.K., European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas told reporters in Brussels, though the two sides will remain in close contact this week. May and Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker took stock of the progress of technical negotiations during their call over the weekend, he said.
“We remain open and willing to meet with U.K. negotiators at any time,” he said. “We are committed to ratifying this deal before March 29. It’s now for the House of Commons to take an important set of decisions this week.”
Gove: ‘We Didn’t Vote to Leave Without a Deal’ (11 a.m.)
Writing in the Daily Mail, Environment Secretary Michael Gove said May’s Brexit deal delivers on the two “most resonant demands” from voters to take back control of U.K. borders and money. The 2016 referendum, he said, didn’t deliver a mandate for a no-deal Brexit.
“We didn’t vote to leave without a deal. That wasn’t the message of the campaign I helped lead,” Gove said. “During that campaign, we said we should do a deal with the EU and be part of the network of free-trade deals that covers all Europe, from Iceland to Turkey. Leaving without a deal on March 29 would not honor that commitment. It would undoubtedly cause economic turbulence. Almost everyone in this debate accepts that.”
‘Too Late’ for U.K. to Tell EU What It Wants (10:35 a.m.)
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar struck a hardline tone in his comments to reporters in Dublin on Monday. Varadkar, who met with the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier over the weekend, said he’s heard the suggestion May might cancel this week’s vote on her Brexit deal, and instead hold a new vote to show the EU what Parliament will back.
“It’s far too late for U.K. to tell the EU what they want,” he said.
On the idea of delaying Brexit, the Irish leader seemed to hint he favored a longer extension to Article 50. “Nobody across the EU wants a ‘rolling cliff edge,”’ he said.
Labour Could Call No-Confidence Vote in Govt (10:20 a.m.)
Speaking on Bloomberg TV, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said his party could call a vote of no-confidence vote in the government if Theresa May’s Brexit deal is voted down on Tuesday.
“We’ll keep that on the table. We may do,” McDonnell said when asked about a confidence vote. “It’s chaos in government.”
Earlier:
U.K. Says Brexit Talks in Deadlock Despite Appeal to EU for HelpA Deal, Soft Brexit or Reversal: Theresa May’s Muddled EndgameBrexit Bulletin: Deadlock, With a Day to GoIt’s ‘Rainy’ Season for Brexit Barometer
