The prime minister’s draft withdrawal deal has come under fire since its unveiling, and with cross-party opposition persisting, the deal will almost certainly get voted down in parliament in Tuesday’s crunch Brexit vote.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May is considering postponing the crucial parliamentary vote and even thinks she could potentially secure a better deal with Brussels, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing informed governmental sources.
“The idea we get from sources close to the government, is there’s two reasons behind this [delaying the vote.] One is, she thinks she can go back to Brussels and get a better deal… and secondly, she feels if she gives parliament more say that may be a good thing for her,” Bloomberg presenter Maria Tadeo said.
The government has so far made no indication it plans to postpone the crunch vote, insisting it will go ahead on Tuesday despite many MPs, including several Tories, vowing to vote down the deal.
Brexiteers have been particularly troubled by the Irish backstop and the prospect of being locked in the EU customs union long after the Article 50 deadline. During this period, Britain will have no material say in EU directives and regulations, nor other important decisions taken in Brussels.
However, despite lawmakers and the general public opposing the deal, it has been generally well received by businesses, according to polls.
Earlier this week, the prime minister suffered a string of defeats in the House of Commons and was found to be in contempt of parliament for not releasing details of the government’s Brexit legal advice on the proposed deal, forcing Westminster to disclose the aforementioned information in full.
If the deal fails to get through parliament, a hard Brexit or no Brexit at all may follow, the PM warned on Wednesday in an attempt to present her deal as the best available option.