WORLD

UK Parliament to vote on Brexit amendments

British lawmakers were voting Tuesday on a series of amendments to Prime Minister Teresa May’s EU withdrawal deal that could shape the future direction of the Brexit process. The amendments included a proposed delay to Brexit and asking the government to go back to the EU to demand changes to the Northern Irish backstop. The crucial votes come exactly two months before Britain is due to leave the European Union (EU) on March 29th.

By Suzy Hodges

With Britain’s departure date from the EU looming closer, the nation remains locked in its deepest political crisis in decades, with no agreement on how, or even whether it should leave the EU.

After May’s Brexit deal was heavily defeated in parliament earlier this month, government and opposition lawmakers have been searching for a way out of the crisis.

The Prime Minister is trying to use these series of votes in parliament to find a consensus that lawmakers in her own party could support.

The main sticking point in May’s deal for many Brexiteers is the Northern Irish backstop provision that is intended to ensure there will be no return to a hard border in Ireland. But the Irish government and the European Commission both repeated this week that the backstop provision in the deal is not open for re-negotiation.

Meanwhile, as the Brexit crisis goes down to the line, UK grocers and fast food outlets have warned that a no-deal Brexit could lead to major disruption and empty shelves in supermarkets.
In a letter to lawmakers they warned that crashing out of the EU without a deal threatens the UK’s food security and also will lead to higher prices in the short term.

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