May to allow the vote on the extension of the Brexit deadline while Corbyn proposes to support a new referendum

The two main British parties, under pressure from their own members, have significantly changed their positions on Brexit in recent days. The end result remains uncertain, but the result is that a chaotic Brexit "do not agree" at the end of March is less likely.

Prime Minister Theresa May said Tuesday that if the House of Commons does not approve a new Brexit agreement before March 13, a vote would be held on the desirability of rejecting a Brexit "without agreement". Parliament overwhelmingly rejected May's proposed deal in January. Therefore, if no further action is taken, Britain will leave the EU on March 29 without any agreement on future economic relations with the EU. While some Brexit supporters favor this scenario, economists warn that it would be a huge disruption to UK businesses and consumers.

If the Brexit without agreement is rejected, the Parliament will vote the next day, March 14, on the opportunity to request an extension to the EU. May did not say if his government would accept support an extension under these circumstances – she did say that Britain "would eventually succeed the non-agreement" if she had to – and she did not specify how long an extension would be (probably only about three months , since Britain wants to withdraw from the EU before the convocation of a new European Parliament in July).

In addition, uncertainties remain as to how the government, even if it has more time, intends to solve the thorny problem of the exit of Britain from a customs union with the EU while avoiding a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Nevertheless, this is a major change: until recently, May even refused to consider the possibility of an extension.

May's change comes one day after Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said his party would support a new referendum on leaving the EU if his party does not approve of approving its own proposal, which includes a permanent customs union with Europe. (This is likely to fail.) Corbyn, who was not a particularly enthusiastic supporter of the EU, was reluctant to back a new referendum, despite growing calls for a referendum within of his party.

These calls became stronger last week when eight Labor MPs, all of whom support a new EU referendum, resigned to form the new independent group in the Parliament. In addition to his approach to Brexit, the defectors also blame Corbyn for fostering a climate of anti-Semitism within the party. They have since been joined by three conservative MPs angered by Brexit's "disastrous treatment" of May.

The defection of these moderates undoubtedly put pressure on the two party leaders to change their position. But none of these decisions has brought Britain closer to resolving this crisis. Some commentators suggested Tuesday that a Brexit without agreement could actually be more probably now, since Parliament will probably not reach a consensus if it is only given a few more months, and it is less likely that May will be able to obtain a second extension of Brussels. The clock is still turning, but maybe a little longer now.