Despite insisting earlier Monday that the vote would be held, May later announced the vote – which she was likely to lose – would be delayed.
LONDON — British Prime Minister Theresa May postponed Parliament’s vote on her European Union divorce deal to avoid a shattering defeat — a decision that throws her Brexit plans into chaos.
All signs had pointed to a big defeat for the prime minister in the vote planned for Tuesday. But postponing the vote is a fresh humiliation for May, who became prime minister after Britain’s 2016 decision to leave the EU.
May has been battling on Brexit ever since — first to strike a divorce deal with the bloc, then to sell it to skeptical British lawmakers before the U. K. leaves the bloc on March 29.
Both Conservative and opposition Labour Party lawmakers have said they would not back the divorce deal that May and EU leaders agreed on last month.
The pound sank amid the political uncertainty, hitting an 18-month low against the U. S. dollar of $1.2660.
The House of Commons Speaker’s office had said May would make a previously unscheduled statement to lawmakers about Brexit at about 3:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m. EST). An updated House of Commons schedule said there would also be a statement on “business of the House” after May’s address, indicating a sudden change to the parliamentary timetable.
May’s office insisted Monday morning that the vote would definitely be held. But British media had reported that May had decided to postpone the vote.
All signs had pointed to a big defeat for the prime minister on Tuesday — a result that could sink May’s deal, her leadership, or both.
May’s Conservative government does not have a majority in the House of Commons, and opposition parties — as well as dozens of Conservative lawmakers — said they would not back the divorce deal that May and EU leaders agreed on last month.
Pro-Brexit lawmakers say the deal keeps Britain bound too closely to the EU, while pro-EU politicians say it erects barriers between the U.
