The lawmakers’ 321-278 vote has political but not legal force, and does not entirely rule out a chaotic no-deal departure for Britain. But it might ease jitters spreading across the EU after lawmakers resoundingly rejected May’s divorce deal on Tuesday.
LONDON — British lawmakers voted Wednesday to block the country from leaving the European Union without a divorce agreement and next will decide whether to try to delay that departure, currently due to take place on March 29.
That decision in Parliament, scheduled for Thursday, was set up after a vote that represented yet another defeat for Prime Minister Theresa May amid months of political crisis over Britain’s departure from the EU.
The lawmakers’ 321-278 vote has political but not legal force, and does not entirely rule out a chaotic no-deal departure for Britain. But it might ease jitters spreading across the EU after lawmakers resoundingly rejected May’s divorce deal on Tuesday. Exiting the EU without a deal could mean major disruptions for businesses and people in the U. K. and the 27 remaining EU countries.
Speaking with a raspy voice after weeks of relentless pressure, May said Parliament faced a “fundamental choice” — a “short, technical extension” if lawmakers approve a divorce deal with the EU in the next week, or a much longer delay to Brexit if they don’t.
Delaying Brexit would need EU approval. The bloc — openly exasperated by Britain’s continuing Brexit crisis — warned that the U. K. would need to present a strong reason for any extension.
“I am against every extension — whether an extension of one day, one week, even 24 hours — if it’s not based on a clear opinion of the House of Commons for something,” said the European Parliament’s chief Brexit official, Guy Verhofstadt. “Please make up your minds in London, because this uncertainty cannot continue.”
The bloc also is unwilling to consider a delay that goes beyond elections to the European Parliament in late May because it would mean Britain would have to participate in the polls even as it prepares to leave.
As Britain teeters ever closer to the edge of the Brexit cliff, lawmakers are trying to seize control from the divided, squabbling government, although it’s far from clear if they can agree on a way forward.
