Theresa May’s Brexit plan was defeated by a majority of MPs in Parliament on Tuesday, with Labour now launching a vote of no confidence against the government.
The Prime Minister’s Brexit deal was rejected by 230 votes, in a huge blow to the government given it has spent the last two years negotiating it.
After the defeat, May told the Commons that the vote “tells us nothing about what it does support, nothing about how or even if it intends to honour the decision that people took in a referendum”.
Nevertheless, she said she would respect the outcome of the vote. She also said:
“The house has spoken and the government will listen,” she told the Commons earlier today.
The vote is set to take place after Prime Minister’s questions today. Should Labour win the vote, an immediate election would not take place.
May’s government would have two weeks to attempt to regain confidence from MPs, or an alternative government would be allowed to form.
Nevertheless, both Tory rebels and DUP MPs have allegedly pledged to give their support to the Prime Minister, meaning a Labour victory seems unlikely.
Still, uncertainty about the road ahead remains. If May survives a no-confidence she will likely head back to Brussels to renegotiate.
Thus fur, however, the EU has dismissed the option of further talks.
The European Council Chief Donald Tusk took to twitter hinted that the only possible resolution would be to cancel Brexit.
He tweeted:
If a deal is impossible, and no one wants no deal, then who will finally have the courage to say what the only positive solution is?
— Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) January 15, 2019
