Theresa May delays Brexit vote in House of Commons

British Prime Minister Theresa May has delayed the parliamentary vote on the Brexit deal that was scheduled for December 11.

Quoting sources, CNN reported that an official confirmation regarding the postponement is yet to be given.

The British Prime Minister may have taken the decision amidst fears that the deal would not be able to garner the required votes in the House of Commons and may affect her leadership.

Debate on the Brexit deal has been ongoing in the British Parliament since December 4, the culmination of which was supposed to be a parliamentary vote on the Brexit deal on December 11.

Meanwhile, May is set to address the Parliament on Monday afternoon which will be followed by a statement by the Leader of the House Andrea Leadsom. The Brexit secretary, Steve Barclay, is also expected to speak.

 

For long, May has been pushing for the Brexit deal to be accepted by the Parliament, with Conservative Members of Parliament (MP's) like Liam Fox backing the deal. She has repeatedly stated that "this is a Brexit that delivers."

Earlier, the British Parliament held May-led government in contempt for not publishing the full legal advice based on which the Brexit plan was formulated. This was a first ever instance in the history of the House of Commons and a major setback for the British government.

A top European Union (EU) law officer had recently stated that the UK could unilaterally cancel the Brexit process as the approval of the remaining 27 EU member nations was not necessary.

Leaders from EU nations have also backed the deal and have approved the withdrawal agreement along with the Political Declaration on the future of EU-UK relations during a special summit held in Brussels on November 25 this year.

In 2016, over 50 per cent of the UK electorate voted to leave the EU, following which the British government had triggered Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, beginning the country's process of its exit from the European bloc. May has shot down suggestions of a second referendum on the Brexit deal.

According to the withdrawal agreement, the UK is scheduled to leave the bloc on March 29 in 2019, after which it will move into a 21-month long transitional period with the EU.