Lords have voted to give Parliament a potentially decisive say over the outcome of Brexit talks. An amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill giving MPs the power to stop the UK from leaving without a deal or to make Theresa May return to negotiations was approved by 335 votes to 244. Its supporters said Parliament, not ministers, must “determine the future of the country”.
Voters in London are expected to punish Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative Party at local government elections this week which could embolden critics of her Brexit strategy, but are not expected to trigger her downfall.
By Gwynne Dyer - If the model is broken, should you try to fix it, or scrap it and get a new one? In questions of technology, increasingly the answer is: scrap it. Computer repair shops are dying out: if your laptop doesn't work, just buy a new one. What applies to consumer technology, however, does not necessarily apply to politics.
British Prime Minister Theresa May suffered her biggest Brexit blow so far when MPs on Thursday backed a call in the House of Commons for Britain to stay in a European customs union. A debate, promoted by the main opposition Labour Party, was agreed unanimously after a four hour discussion in the House of Commons.
The European Union could offer Britain a closer relationship after Brexit if Prime Minister Theresa May decides to stay in the bloc’s customs union, diplomats said. EU hopes London could change its stance on what ties it wants after Brexit after Britain’s upper house of parliament challenged the government on a key bill relating to May’s plan to quit the customs union.
The UK might have to set up its own satellite navigation system if it is thrown out of the Galileo project after Brexit, according to British officials. Galileo is a €10 billion program that was launched by the EU to rival the US global positioning system.
Brexit Secretary David Davis has suggested the UK government could consider asking for Brexit negotiations to be extended if Parliament votes down the withdrawal deal later this year. Speaking to the Exiting the EU Committee on Wednesday, Davis conceded that it would not be impossible to prolong Article 50 negotiations, having previously said that the deal would fall if MPs vote it down.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has called on the capital’s 1.1 million EU nationals to turn out in force at next week’s local elections to try to halt a hard Brexit. Speaking ahead of campaigning in south London with Labour’s shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer, Mr Khan said the Windrush scandal showed the Tories’ “divisive” stance on immigration.
Britain will not get a Brexit deal better than the current single market, Japan’s ambassador to the UK has said. Koji Tsuruoka, who took up the role just over a fortnight before the referendum in June 2016, said Japanese firms are watching negotiations and will want to continue to be located in the single market after next March.
British Prime Minister Theresa May could bow to Parliamentary pressure to keep Britain in a customs union with the European Union after Brexit. Following a defeat in the House of Lords and reports that a number of Tory MPs will vote in favor of membership in the Commons, the Prime Minister and her team are reported to be having a rethink.