London: British Prime Minister Theresa May’s government remained defiant after Parliament took partial control of the stalled process of leaving the European Union, arguing Tuesday that the maneuvering simply underscores the need for lawmakers to approve her twice-defeated deal. The House of Commons voted late Monday to wrest the parliamentary timetable away from the government temporarily so that lawmakers can vote on alternatives to the withdrawal agreement May negotiated with the EU.
The government, which usually controls the scheduling of votes, said the lawmakers’ move “upends the balance between our democratic institutions and sets a dangerous, unpredictable precedent for the future.” But Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the BBC that the government won’t “pre-commit” to accepting the option backed by lawmakers because they may come up with a plan that is impractical.
“If the Commons voted for the sun to rise in the west, the government would not be able to implement that,” he said. “The best way through this impasse is the one deal that has been negotiated with the EU that can be delivered quickly now,” Hancock said, about the PM’s agreement.
Three junior ministers quit UK government over Brexit
London: Three junior British ministers quit Monday over Brexit, defying Prime Minister Theresa May to support a plan to give MPs a bigger say over leaving the EU. Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt and health minister Steve Brine resigned, a government source told AFP, while business minister Richard Harrington announced his decision to leave government on Twitter. They were among 30 members of May’s Conservative party who defied her to vote in favour of a motion giving MPs control of parliamentary business later this week to try to come up with an alternative Brexit plan.
In his resignation letter, Harrington said the government’s approach was “playing roulette with the lives and livelihoods of the vast majority of people in this country”. He said he would do “all I can” to avoid Britain leaving the EU with no deal. “As the UK’s industry minister, the clear message I have been receiving from the business community is that the failure to secure a deal and to rule out a hard Brexit is resulting in cancelled investment decisions, business being placed abroad, and a sense of ridicule for British business, across the world,” he wrote.
