Premier tries to save Brexit deal after vote to delay Britain’s exit

LONDON — British Prime Minister Theresa May worked Friday to pull off an against-the-odds rescue for her European Union divorce deal, after Parliament voted to postpone Brexit to avert a chaotic Britain departure in two weeks.

May planned to spend the next few days trying to persuade opponents in her Conservative Party and its parliamentary allies to support the withdrawal agreement, which Parliament has resoundingly defeated twice. That left Britain facing a disruptive “no-deal” exit from the bloc on March 29, when a two-year countdown to the country’s departure runs out.

After months of political deadlock, Britain’s House of Commons voted 413-202 Thursday to ask the EU to delay the country’s exit.

The vote in itself won’t prevent Britain from crashing out of the bloc — an outcome that could mean major disruptions for businesses and people in both the United Kingdom and the 27 remaining EU countries.

By law, Britain will leave the EU on March 29 with or without a deal, unless it cancels Brexit or secures a delay from the EU.

Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington said the likelihood of a no-deal Brexit had “diminished” with Thursday’s votes. He said he hoped the United Kingdom would “leave as soon as possible in an orderly fashion” if Parliament backs May’s withdrawal agreement next week.

Pro-Brexit lawmakers in May’s Conservative Party have rejected her withdrawal deal — which lays out the terms of Britain’s departure and the outline of the country’s future relations with the EU — because they think it keeps Britain too closely bound to the bloc’s rules and regulations.

Jill Lawless is an Associated Press writer.