Devastating defeat on key Brexit vote
British Prime Minister Theresa May suffered a crushing defeat Tuesday as Parliament overwhelmingly rejected her Brexit deal with the European Union — a defeat that places the future of Brexit in doubt and intensified calls for May’s ouster via a general election.
May’s withdrawal agreement was voted down 432-202, the largest defeat for a prime minister in the history of the House of Commons. May was expected to lose, but the extent by which she lost was significant and marked a devastating blow for her leadership and her ability to go back to Brussels and negotiate further concessions.
May acknowledged that her deal was rejected by Parliament, but added: “Tonight’s vote tells us nothing about what it does support.”
Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition Labour Party, immediately tabled a motion of no-confidence in the government, which is likely to be debated on Wednesday. Should that pass, it could eventually lead to a snap general election if another government is not formed within two weeks.
“Her governing principle of delay and denial has reached the end of the line,” Corbyn told the Commons after the vote. “She cannot seriously believe that after two years of failure she is capable of negotiating a good deal for the people of this country. The most important issue facing us is that the government has lost the confidence of this House and this country.”
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