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 Democratic Unionist Party has warned UK Prime Minister Theresa May it will bring down her government if Northern Ireland is forced to stay inside the EU customs union and single market after Brexit. The renewed threat comes ahead of a vote by British MPs, pushed for by pro-EU parliamentarians, seeking to keep UK customs union membership.
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.
The UK government has restated its commitment to leaving the EU's custom union - ahead of a symbolic vote on the issue this week. Last Wednesday, the government suffered defeat on the EU Withdrawal Bill in the House of Lords - when peers voted in favor of staying in the customs union. As a result, MPs will get a chance to debate the proposal on Thursday..
Fresh doubts have been raised over Theresa May’s hopes for a deal on future relations with Europe, after reports that her proposals for the Irish border have been comprehensively rejected in Brussels. One report of a meeting this week between Britain’s lead negotiator Olly Robbins and senior EU officials suggested that the Prime Minister’s plans for avoiding a hard border with the Republic were subjected to “a systematic and forensic annihilation”.
Prince Charles has spent a lifetime waiting to be king. On Friday the 69-year-old heir to the British throne got another position to wait for — he was approved as the next head of the Commonwealth made up of the U.K. and the countries that once were its colonies.
Queen Elizabeth II opened a summit of the 53-nation Commonwealth on Thursday, and backed her son Prince Charles to be the next leader of the association of Britain and its former colonies. In a ceremony at Buckingham Palace, the queen said she hoped Charles would “carry on the important work” of leading the Commonwealth, a loose alliance of countries large and small that has struggled to carve out a firm place on the world stage.
Prime Minister Theresa May suffered two major defeats on Wednesday after a majority of the upper House of Parliament adopted an amendment supporting continued membership in the EU customs union after Brexit. The amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill, which passed by 348 votes to 225, forces the government to report to Parliament by Oct. 31 on what steps it has taken to remain in the customs union.
Theresa May is to call for concrete measures to ensure girls in Commonwealth countries spend at least 12 years in education. The prime minister will pledge £212m, which Downing Street said would allow almost one million more girls to go to school.