MPs to vote on Theresa May's deal

MPs to vote on Theresa May
# 12 March 2019 10:51 (UTC +04:00)

MPs will vote on Theresa May's Brexit deal later after she secured "legally binding" changes to it following talks with the EU in Strasbourg, ONA reports citing BBC.

The PM said the changes meant the Irish backstop - the insurance policy designed to avoid a hard border in Ireland - could not "become permanent".

But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the changes were not "anything approaching" what she had promised.

It remains to be seen whether MPs will vote for the deal today evening.

The legal view of the changes taken by Attorney General Geoffrey Cox is likely to be an important factor in the lead-up to the Commons vote.

Mrs May is expected to chair a cabinet meeting today morning before the motion is debated in the Commons in the afternoon and votes are held in the evening.

After talks with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker on Monday evening, the prime minister said she "passionately believed" her Brexit deal addressed concerns raised by MPs.

Some fear the backstop would keep the UK in a customs arrangement with the EU indefinitely.

The Democratic Unionist Party, whose support Mrs May relies on in the Commons, said it would be "scrutinising the text line by line" before deciding whether to back the deal.

Speaking alongside Mrs May in Strasbourg, Mr Juncker warned if the deal was voted down there would be "no third chance".

Last time Mrs May's withdrawal agreement was put to Parliament in January,it was voted down by an historic margin of 230.

The UK is set to leave the EU on 29 March 2019 after voting to leave by nearly 52% to 48% - 17.4m votes to 16.1m - in 2016.

#
#

THE OPERATION IS BEING PERFORMED