MPs have voted 391 to 241 on Theresa May’s Brexit deal. Rejecting Theresa May’s Brexit withdrawal deal.
With Article 50 scheduled to be issued on the 29th March, today MPs have voted for the 3rd time on Theresa May’s Brexit withdrawal plan.
After failing to win the vote on January 15 lost by 432 votes to 202, the largest defeat for a sitting government in history.
2 weeks later May’s Plan B won the parliament vote by 317 to 301, but only if the agreement is amended on the backstop.
Since then May has been working with the EU to get the amendments needed so MPs will agree on her withdrawal plan.
The statement issued by the UK and the EU (known officially as a joint interpretive instrument) gives added legal reassurance that both sides intend that the backstop plan for the Irish border if it ever needs to be used, would be only a temporary measure.
The text of the backstop itself has not changed, and that means it has no guaranteed end date and there is no unilateral exit mechanism that has been agreed by both sides.
So some of the demands made by Brexiteers, which the prime minister said she would seek to address, have not been met.
What happens next?
She has previously confirmed if she fails to win the vote on the 12 March the next day parliament will be voting again on Plan D, this time if they want to leave the EU without a deal or delay leaving and an extension for Article 50 process is made.
Mrs May told MPs: “They are commitments I am making as prime minister and I will stick by them, as I have previous commitments to make statements and table amendable motions by specific dates.”
The move is an attempt to avoid a defeat for the government on Wednesday, which would see MPs taking control of the Brexit process.
Another vote will be taken again tomorrow, on whether the UK leaves with no deal.
There is also another vote expected to take place on Thursday, this is when MPs are expected to vote on having the UK request an extension on Brexit.
