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A8 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 30 March 2019
UK faces new Brexit crisis after lawmakers reject May's deal

By JILL LAWLESS deal is two weeks away."
DANICA KIRKA If lawmakers back a new
Associated Press proposal, Britain would
LONDON (AP) — British law- need to seek a new delay
makers on Friday rejected to Brexit from the bloc to
the government's Brexit implement it.
deal for a third time, leav- The EU has indicated it
ing the U.K. facing the stark could grant an extension of
prospect of a chaotic de- up to a year if the U.K. plans
parture from the European to change course and tack
Union in just two weeks, toward a softer departure.
with political leaders in tur- That would, however, re-
moil and the country ill-pre- quire Britain to participate
pared for the shock. in elections for the Europe-
It's either that, or a long de- an Parliament in late May
lay to the country's exit from — something both the bloc
the EU. The alternatives are and the British government
dwindling. have sought to avoid.
The House of Commons The political morass has left
voted 286-344 against the Britons on both sides of the
withdrawal agreement debate frustrated and an-
struck between Prime Min- gry. Thousands of Brexit sup-
ister Theresa May and the porters, who had planned
EU, rebuffing her plea to to be celebrating Friday,
"put aside self and party" were protesting instead.
and deliver the Brexit that They converged on Parlia-
Britons voted for. ment Square as lawmakers
Amid business warnings A Pro-Brexit leave the European Union supporter waves flags in Parliament Square at the end of voted inside, waving Union
that a no-deal Brexit could the final leg of the "March to Leave" in London, Friday, March 29, 2019. Jack flags, singing "Bye-Bye
mean crippling tariffs, bor- Associated Press EU" and lamenting the gov-
der gridlock and shortages ernment's failure to take
of goods, a visibly frustrat- tween those who want a the deal. Former Foreign "blind Brexit" with no idea Britain out of the bloc on
ed May said the vote had clean break, those who Secretary Boris Johnson what would happen next. schedule.
"grave" implications. want to retain close ties — a likely contender to Opposition lawmakers de- "The people are supposed
"The legal default now is with the bloc, and those replace May as Conserva- clared May's deal as good to be the masters and
that the United Kingdom is who want to overturn the tive leader — tweeted that as dead. Labour Party legis- them inside (Parliament)
due to leave the European decision to leave. rejecting it risked "being lator Ian Murray likened it to are meant to do what we
Union on 12 April — in just Last week, to prevent Brit- forced to accept an even the dead parrot in a Monty tell them," said Charlotte
14 days' time," she said. ain from crashing out, the worse version of Brexit or Python comedy sketch. Clifford from Eastbourne in
"This is not enough time to EU granted an extension to losing Brexit altogether." "Her deal is no more," he southern England. "It's de-
agree, legislate for and May 22 if the divorce deal But May's key allies, the said. "It has ceased to exist. mocracy."
ratify a deal, and yet the was approved by Friday Democratic Unionist Party It is bereft of life. It rests in The main "Leave Means
House has been clear it will — or to April 12 if it was re- in Northern Ireland, refused peace. It's a deal that has Leave" protest outside Par-
not permit leaving without jected. to back the agreement been nailed to its perch. liament was attended by
a deal. And so we will have Friday's 58-vote margin of because it treats Northern It's an ex-parrot, it is an ex- senior Brexiteers including
to agree an alternative defeat for the deal was nar- Ireland differently from the deal." former U.K. Independence
way forward." rower than previous votes rest of the U.K. Lawmakers who favor a Party leader Nigel Farage,
Had the deal been passed, in January and March, but Parliament voted on the "soft Brexit" plan to hold who called Friday a "day of
Britain would have left the it still left the government's legally binding, 585-page votes Monday in an at- betrayal."
EU on May 22. blueprint for exiting the withdrawal agreement tempt to find a deal with In a separate rally up the
The bloc said the rejection bloc in tatters. that May struck with the EU majority support that can street, far-right agitator
of the divorce terms made May's deal was voted late last year, setting out break the deadlock. Tommy Robinson roused
a no-deal Brexit "a likely down even after the prime the terms of Britain's depar- Labour Party leader Jere- supporters with a speech
scenario" and called an minister sacrificed her job in ture — but not on a shorter my Corbyn said Parliament attacking politicians and
emergency summit of EU exchange for Brexit, prom- declaration on future ties had a "responsibility to find the media.
leaders for April 10 to de- ising to quit if lawmakers that was also part of the a majority for a better deal Retired charity worker Man-
cide what to do next. approved the agreement. accord between the two for all the people of this dy Childs, one of a band of
An EU Commission official With the deal's rejection, sides. country." Brexit supporters walking
said the 27 remaining EU she will face pressure to Removing the political dec- Business groups, who have across England to join the
nations were "fully pre- step aside and let a new laration altered the deal been sounding the alarm "Leave Means Leave" pro-
pared for a no-deal sce- Conservative Party leader enough to overcome a for months about the dam- test, said she felt "heartbro-
nario at midnight 12th of take over negotiations with parliamentary ban against age a no-deal Brexit could ken." "We were told over a
April." the EU. asking lawmakers the same do, urged lawmakers to 100 times by a British prime
Almost three years after The government had also question over and over avert disaster. minister that we would
Britain voted in June 2016 warned pro-Brexit politi- again. "All eyes are now on Mon- be leaving on the 29th of
to leave the EU, and two cians that rejecting May's May also hoped severing day to discover what Par- March, 2019," she said.
years after it set its depar- deal could see Britain's the link between the two liament is for," said Josh "To do that, promise the
ture date for March 29, departure from the EU de- parts of the deal would Hardie, director-general of British people that and then
2019, British politicians re- layed indefinitely. blunt opposition. That gam- the Confederation of Brit- say 'Actually, no, we need
main deadlocked over May's arguments moved ble failed to pay off, as op- ish Industry. "The U.K.'s repu- to just put it back' — ab-
Brexit. Like the country as some previously resistant position lawmakers said if tation, people's jobs and solute betrayal. And how
a whole, they are split be- Brexit-backers to support amounted to voting for a livelihoods are at stake. No- dare she?"q