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A8 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 27 March 2019

UK government defiant as Parliament takes control of Brexit

By JILL LAWLESS to water down its oppo-
DANICA KIRKA sition to the withdrawal
Associated Press agreement. The DUP con-
LONDON (AP) — British law- trols 10 crucial votes in the
makers were preparing to House of Commons, and
blow open the Brexit pro- many hard-line Brexit sup-
cess and put a host of re- porters may follow the
jected options back on the party's lead when deciding
table — including keeping how to vote.
the U.K. close to the Eu- DUP Brexit spokesman Sam-
ropean Union or even re- my Wilson wrote in the Daily
maining a member — as Telegraph that his party
Prime Minister Theresa May couldn't support May's
defiantly insisted Tuesday "toxic" deal. He said delay-
that Parliament should ap- ing Brexit by up to a year
prove her twice-defeated would be preferable to
divorce deal instead. "volunteering to be locked
Lawmakers are scheduled into the prison of the with-
to vote Wednesday on drawal deal with the cell
multiple flavors of Brexit, af- door key in the pocket of
ter the House of Commons Michel Barnier," the EU's
voted to wrest the parlia- chief negotiator.
mentary timetable away European Parliament Brexit chief Guy Verhofstadt speaks during a press conference at the Euro- May has warned pro-Brexit
from May's weakened gov- pean Parliament in Strasbourg, France, Tuesday March 26, 2019. legislators that continuing
ernment and hold votes on Associated Press to reject the deal could
alternatives to her rejected lead to a "slow Brexit" that
withdrawal agreement. The votes will not be legally 30 members of her Con- trol. postpones the country's
The largely pro-EU legisla- binding, and Health Secre- servative Party defied her The EU legislature's top Brex- departure indefinitely,
tors behind the unprece- tary Matt Hancock told the instructions and voted late it official, Guy Verhofstadt, Jacob Rees-Mogg, a lead-
dented move hope to find BBC that the government Monday for Parliament to said the U.K. lawmakers' ing pro-Brexit Conservative,
a form of Brexit that can wouldn't "pre-commit" take control of the process. votes could dramatically acknowledged that "the
command a majority in to accepting the option Three government ministers alter the course of the U.K.'s choice seems to be Mrs.
Parliament. Votes are due backed by lawmakers be- resigned rather than vote departure. May's deal or no Brexit."
to be held Wednesday on cause they may come up with the government. "It is possible now to work in "I have always thought that
options that could include with a plan that is imprac- Almost three years after Britain toward a cross-party 'no deal' is better than Mrs.
remaining in the EU's single tical. It's also possible law- Britons voted to leave the alliance," he said. May's deal, but Mrs. May's
market and customs union, makers could support con- EU, the date and terms May continued to push for deal is better than not leav-
calling a new membership tradictory options, or none of its departure are up in approval of her deal with ing at all," he said on the
referendum and canceling at all. the air. Last week, the EU the EU even though the Conservative Home pod-
Brexit — all ideas that May "If the Commons voted for granted Britain a delay House of Commons over- cast.
has repeatedly rejected. the sun to rise in the west, to the scheduled March whelmingly rejected it dur- Some members of the pub-
They plan to see which the government would not 29 exit date, saying that if ing votes in January and lic, meanwhile, are losing
ideas have the most sup- be able to implement that," Parliament approved the March. patience with the parlia-
port, and then hold anoth- he said. proposed divorce deal, The government said it mentary process and the
er day of votes next week "The best way through this the U.K. would leave the EU might be possible to hold fading promises made by
to try to find agreement on impasse is the one deal on May 22. If not, the gov- a third vote on the agree- pro-Brexit politicians.
a proposal. that has been negotiated ernment has until April 12 ment Thursday, but only if it "It's a little bit similar to the
The government, which with the EU that can be de- to tell the 27 remaining EU looked like there was a rea- way that when you're in
usually controls the sched- livered quickly now," Han- countries what it plans to sonable chance it might quite a good nightclub
uling of votes in Parliament, cock said, referring to the do — leave without a deal, pass. and then a friend of yours
said the lawmakers' move prime minister's agreement. cancel Brexit or propose a That appeared unlikely af- says ... 'I know somewhere
"upends the balance be- But government officials radically new path. ter the small but influential else to go' and then you all
tween our democratic insti- acknowledged they were EU officials, exasperated Democratic Unionist Par- leave and then you realize
tutions and sets a danger- no longer in control of by months of British political ty from Northern Ireland, you can't get into the other
ous, unpredictable prec- Brexit. May's authority was gridlock, welcomed Parlia- which props up May's mi- club," said tech executive
edent for the future." hanging by a thread after ment's move to take con- nority government, refused Russell Robinson.q