MPs vote to demand that Theresa May reject a no-deal Brexit
- Members of the UK House of Commons on Tuesday voted 318 to 310 for a Brexit amendment designed to force Prime Minister Theresa May to rule out a no-deal Brexit.
- The resolution, while not legally binding, is a clear statement of the lack of parliamentary support for no-deal.
- The prime minister has repeatedly refused to take no-deal off the table.
- The UK is due to leave the European Union on March 29.
LONDON — The UK House of Commons on Tuesday voted against a no-deal Brexit through an amendment designed to force Prime Minister Theresa May to rule out leaving the European Union on March 29 without a deal.
MPs voted 318 to 310 for a Brexit amendment brought forward by Conservative MP Caroline Spelman and Labour MP Jack Dromey that "rejects the United Kingdom leaving the European Union without a Withdrawal Agreement."
The amendment is not legally binding for the UK government. But it is a clear expression of Parliament's will to oppose a hard Brexit and makes it politically difficult for the prime minister to pursue a no-deal.
The prime minister has repeatedly refused to take the option of leaving without a deal off the table, insisting that "no deal is better than a bad deal."
Alternative amendments pushed by Labour MPs Yvette Cooper and Rachel Reeves that would force the prime minister to delay Brexit were rejected by MPs.
Fourteen Labour MPs helped May defeat Cooper's amendment.
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