British PM suffers defeat in Brexit bill
London, (MILLAT ONLINE):British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday suffered a damaging parliamentary defeat on the eve of a crucial EU summit, after her own MPs rebelled to demand parliament have the final say on a Brexit divorce deal.
Eleven members of May’s Conservative party joined with opposition lawmakers to inflict the government’s first defeat over the flagship EU (Withdrawal) Bill, sparking huge cheers in the House of Commons.
Ministers had sought to buy off its critics with a last-minute concession, but leading rebel Dominic Grieve, a former attorney general, had warned: “It’s too late.”
His amendment would require new legislation to implement any divorce deal with Brussels before Britain leaves the EU in March 2019.
It passed by 309 votes to 305, with a twelfth Conservative MP effectively abstaining by voting in both camps.
The defeat was a blow to May the day before EU leaders gather in Brussels to approve the terms of an interim Brexit deal struck last week after months of negotiation.
That deal was a rare moment of triumph for the prime minister, who has endured a turbulent few months since losing her parliamentary majority in disastrous snap elections in June.
Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the vote represented a “humiliating loss of authority” for May.
The government said it was “disappointed”, adding: “We will now determine whether further changes are needed to the bill to ensure it fulfils its vital purpose.”