British MPs massively disavowed Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday (January 15th), as they overwhelmingly rejected her Brexit Deal. This vote plunges the United Kingdom in uncertainty less than three months before the effective date of Brexit.

The House of Commons rejected the text by 432 votes against 202, the biggest defeat suffered by a British leader since the 1920s. The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, confirmed he had tabled a formal motion of confidence in the government, backed by other opposition leaders, which MPs would vote on, on Wednesday.

Theresa May has now until Monday to present a « Plan B » if she survives the Labour vote of confidence.

Several options are available: she may have to return to Brussels to negotiate or request a postponement of the effective date of Brexit, scheduled for March 29. The rejection of the text also opens the possibility of a divorce without agreement, particularly feared by economic experts. As far as the European institutions leaders are concerned, the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, reacted to the result of the vote by saying that he “urge[s] the United Kingdom to clarify its intentions as soon as possible [because] time is almost up. »

“No one wants a ‘no-deal’ Brexit, but we are getting close to this,” Moscovici told France 2 television on Wednesday. Asked on whether Britain could have a second referendum which could result in a decision to stay in the European Union, Moscovici replied that European legal bodies had said this was possible.

But the European Council President, Donald Tusk, took a new step on Wednesday morning by suggesting the cancellation of Brexit. Indeed, he has appeared to suggest that the UK should stay in the EU by tweeting « If a deal is impossible, and no one wants no deal, then who will finally have the courage to say what the only positive solution is? ».

Adeline SILVA PEREIRA

For further information:

BBC.com:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-46887852

CNN.com:

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/16/uk/may-vote-of-no-confidence-gbr-intl/index.html

The Guardian.com:

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jan/15/theresa-may-suffers-historic-defeat-as-tories-turn-against-her

Le Monde.fr:

https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2019/01/15/les-deputes-britanniques-ont-massivement-rejete-l-accord-de-brexit_5409563_3210.html

Euronews.com:

https://fr.euronews.com/2019/01/15/brexit-en-danger-la-premiere-ministre-britannique-theresa-may-dans-l-impasse

Reuters.com:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-moscovici/eu-and-uk-are-nearing-a-no-deal-brexit-neither-want-moscovici-idUSKCN1PA0JM