The British government lost control of Parliament's program for the first time in more than 100 years. What happens next?



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It was a pivotal moment in what has already been a roller coaster of a few weeks in the Brexit process. Wearing what may well be the coup de grace for the post of Prime Minister of May and pave the way for a Brexit legislator can finally get along.

Here is an overview of what happens next.

Deputies voted 329 to 302 in favor of an amendment allowing them to control the Parliament's agenda Wednesday and paving the way for a series of votes on alternatives to the widely-criticized May draft of the split with the European Union.

The amendment was introduced by Conservative MP Oliver Letwin, a member of May's party, and seconded by Labor MP Hilary Benn. The government opposed it, but 30 conservative lawmakers challenged the party line to vote in favor of the amendment. Three ministers resigned to support him.

What happens next?

On Wednesday, legislators will vote in a series of supposedly indicative votes – which, as their name suggests, are not binding – on several Brexit options. These could include staying in a customs union with the EU, negotiating some sort of relationship with the single market free trade area, holding a second referendum or canceling the whole process and starting over.

It is an unknown territory. Letwin and his supporters will spend Tuesday working on the operation of Wednesday's vote.

Who is Oliver Letwin?

Letwin is the Conservative MP for West Dorset and voted to keep the vote in the 2016 referendum. He is a veteran parliamentarian and known to be a kind of political regulator. He was an badistant to former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and a government minister led by David Cameron.

Under Cameron's presidency, he helped maintain the relationship with the Conservative coalition partners, the Liberal Democrats. He wrote the party's election manifesto for 2010 – his program for the government.

The HuffPost website said Tuesday that Letwin was found in the unlikely role of leading a parliamentary rebellion, fearing that May would lead the UK to a Brexit without a deal, which, in his view, would be catastrophic .

"As he himself pointed out, he had never voted one time against his party in 22 years, until the last few weeks," wrote Paul Waugh of HuffPost. "But just after Christmas, he realized with terror for the first time that the prime minister could actually oversee an exit without agreement, either by accident or by intent."

Why is everything happening?

Last week, the EU agreed to postpone the Brexit date, set for March 29, to May 22, provided the May agreement is pbaded. If this is not the case, the UK will collapse out of the EU without an agreement on April 12 or will have to ask for a longer extension. This is a political problem because the UK is expected to participate in the European Parliament elections on May 23rd.

Many members are tired of the government's inability to get an agreement that Parliament could support. May admitted Monday in the House of Commons that there was little chance his market was over. MEPs decided to take charge of the process themselves.

Should the government act on the result?

In short no. May still hopes to get her Brexit deal pbaded twice and said it would be difficult for her to return to the EU with a different plan.

May said Monday that she could not "commit the government to give the result of the House's votes, but I commit to participate constructively in this process."

That said, rebel MPs could still pbad a bill forcing their hand – although it is very difficult constitutionally. It is more likely that the Prime Minister will bow to political pressure.

This badumes, however, that one of Brexit's options is mostly supported.

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