LONDON — British Prime Minister Theresa May bowed to intense political pressure Tuesday and handed control of Brexit to Parliament, telling lawmakers they will get to choose between leaving the European Union on schedule — with or without a divorce deal — or asking the EU to postpone.
May said that if Parliament rejects her deal with the EU next month, lawmakers will vote the next day on whether to leave the bloc without an agreement. If that is defeated, as seems likely, they will vote on whether to ask the EU to delay Brexit by up to three months.
May said the promises were “commitments I am making as prime minister and I will stick by them.”
Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, but so far the government has not been able to win Parliament’s backing for its divorce deal with the bloc. That leaves the U.K. facing a chaotic “no-deal” Brexit that could cause disruption for businesses and people in both Britain and the EU.
May shifted position after members of her own government joined calls for her to rule out a “no-deal” Brexit.
Three junior government ministers wrote in the Daily Mail that they would vote with opposition lawmakers to stop a no-deal departure unless May agreed to delay Brexit and guarantee “we are not swept over the precipice on March 29.” May said her goal remains to lead Britain out of the EU on schedule and with a deal, even though she still hasn’t managed to win Parliament’s approval for her agreement with the bloc. Her concession to Parliament on Tuesday comes ahead of a series of votes Wednesday in which pro-EU lawmakers will try to force the government to rule out the “no-deal” Brexit and to seek an extension to the Brexit date if Parliament fails to back her deal. ...(More on P4)...(14)