Theresa May attempted to buy more time to go around the bloc one more time and see if she can get more concessions on all sides of the Brexit deal debate.
The government approach to settling a Brexit deal has changed, Theresa May announced, as she addressed the House of Commons on 21 January 2019, after a week of defeat in the Parliament and subsequent set of meetings with both British and European officials in attempt to propel Brexit talks.
WATCH LIVE: PM @Theresa_May makes a statement on Brexit in @HouseofCommons https://t.co/f2qY99RWTq
The Prime Minister said that the only two ways to avoid a no-deal Brexit is striking an agreement with the EU bloc or revoke Article 50, which would mean Britain remains part of the union. Extending Article 50 would not secure avoidance of a no-deal exit, May added.
Overall, in her speech May didn’t commit to promises of a no-deal on Monday.
«If anybody who has ever done any negotiations at all knows, you can’t take your best card off the table… You can’t take your most powerful card off the table and indeed if there isn’t a deal, which it looks as if there won’t be a deal, the default position is that we leave with no deal. That is what all of parliament voted for nearly two years ago.»
In her statement, the PM also added that the option of a 2nd referendum won’t be supported by the majority of the House of Commons lawmakers. Accepting a second referendum will damage the union and social cohesion, May argued.
On the highly contested matter of the Irish backstop, Theresa May said that she will hold further discussions with Northern Ireland’s DUP and others negotiators about their concerns.
