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At the narrowest margin, the House of Commons voted in favor of a bill requiring the British government to seek a further extension of the Brexit process. The bill, which was pbaded by 313 votes to 312, seeks to prevent Premier Theresa May from withdrawing the United Kingdom from the European Union without an agreement reached.
This took place as May's conservative party entered a civil war for its strategy.
Senior officials from both major parties have raised the possibility of a second referendum to gain the support of the British public under any deal – and to offer the choice to stay in the EU.
Key developments:
- May had talks with Opposition Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn in an attempt to find a way out of the Brexit stalemate.
- Two ministers resigned from the May government because of its decision to convince the opposition to vote for its agreement on Brexit.
- At the weekly House of Commons session entitled Questions from the Prime Minister, May was beset by hostile questions from her own side, a sign of anger at the shift in strategy for her Brexit.
- President John Bercow blocked a third round of voting on Brexit options after an even vote to reserve another day of parliamentary time.
- Chancellor Philip Hammond, a prominent member of May's cabinet, said Parliament should vote on holding a second referendum.
At a dramatic vote that was held around midnight in London, lawmakers in the House of Commons pbaded a law obliging the British government to ask the EU for a further extension of the process of terrorism. Article 50, the legal mechanism by which the United Kingdom leaves the block. Britain is currently due to leave on April 12, but many observers doubt that May can get support for its withdrawal agreement by then.
The EU said it would be open to an extension. But it will probably take a long time, forcing the United Kingdom to participate in the European Parliament elections of May 23, to which May is fiercely opposed. The bill must now be approved by the House of Lords, which is almost certain in the coming days.
In the most important development of the day, May had talks in her office in the House of Commons with Corbyn and her key collaborators. He described the talks as "useful but inconclusive," and said there would be further talks on Thursday. May had not changed his position as much as he would have hoped, Corbyn added.
Downing Street said: "Today 's discussions have been constructive, both sides have shown flexibility and are committed to ending Brexit – related uncertainty.
Two young ministers resigned from the government and some members of the Conservative party published images of torn membership cards on social media.
Chris Heaton-Harris, who was deputy minister of the department for the exit of the European Union, said in his resignation letter that May's decision to prevent leaving the European Union without an agreement was making his work useless.
Nigel Adams, former Wales minister, described Corbyn as a "Marxist" in his resignation letter and said that talking with him was a "serious mistake". "It is clear that we will now find ourselves in the customs union.It is not the Brexit that was promised to my constituents and it is contrary to the promise we made in our manifesto, "wrote Adams.
Can attacked on his side
During a marathon session of Prime Minister's Questions, May was shaken by the hostile interventions of her own MPs. "Why a Conservative Prime Minister, who has repeatedly told us that an agreement is no better than a bad deal, is now asking Labor MPs to block Brexit at the WTO when most Conservative MPs want that we were leaving the European Union within nine days, "Conservative MP Julian Lewis asked.
Another conservative lawmaker, Lee Rowley, described Corbyn as "the greatest threat to our world reputation, our defense and our economy."
Nick Boles, the former Conservative MP who dramatically left his party on Monday after his lean Brexit bill was rejected in the Commons, launched a tirade against May's communications director, Robbie Gibb, claiming that he was planning to undermine the prime minister's efforts to find a compromise with Corbyn.
"Prime Minister Robbie Gibb's communications officer is a tough Brexiter who wants to wipe out his new quest for compromise between parties," he wrote on Twitter. "The Prime Minister would do well to ask Mr. Gibb to return to his box – or return to the BBC," Boles added, referring to Gibb's former employer.
Chancellor Philip Hammond, a senior cabinet member in May, said Parliament should decide whether to hold a second referendum – a position that was previously ruled out before May. "It's a perfectly credible proposal that deserves to be tested in Parliament," Hammond told ITV.
Any further delay to Brexit will inevitably be long and the UK will have to prepare to hold European elections if requested, he said.
Divisions of work
There were also signs of division in Labor. A prominent member of the Corbyn team urged him to seek a second referendum under any agreement with the Prime Minister. Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign minister, wrote to all Labor MPs that any pact with May should include a public vote.
"If we seem to take a decision other than a confirmation vote, it would go against the unanimous decision" at the Labor Party conference in Liverpool the year last, she wrote. Some Corbyn allies believe that a second referendum would alienate Labor supporters who voted in favor of their departure in the 2016 referendum.
May received a boost when a legislator blocked the decision to take control of affairs in the House of Commons for a third round of voting on Brexit options. Members of Parliament were tied at 310-310 on whether the so-called indicative votes should be held on Monday. John Bercow, the President, has voted decisively to oppose this measure.
It was the first time in 26 years that the President was forced to break the equality. "It's not up to the presidency to create a majority that does not exist," Bercow said. Ironically, the last time a president broke his equality was linked to another controversial European issue – the Maastricht Treaty, which more closely linked the European Union in the early 1990s.
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