On Wednesday night in the House of Commons at Westminster, members of parliament handed British Prime Minister Theresa May a chastening reminder of just how perilous the nature of the Brexit task is going to be. At present, the European Union (EU) repeal bill is winding its way through the parliamentary process, but a defeat of her government by 309 votes to 305 means a majority of those in the Commons — including at least 12 members of her own Conservatives who broke with party whip — favour a soft Brexit agreement, one that would minimise the risk to the British economy and London’s future relations with the rest of the 27-member bloc, come March 29, 2019.
While May will paint Wednesday night’s defeat as a small setback in the complicated legislative process, the principle of the vote means that MPs across all party lines want a meaningful, final Brexit deal negotiated with Brussels. While a gathering of EU leaders in the Belgian capital has agreed that the Brexit talks can now move on to the so-called Phase Two issues of trade and other substantive points, the reality is that May remains on a tight rope.
The prime minister has little wriggle room.
Within her own party, May sits with ministers who believe that the UK can thrive without any deal with Brussels and should not have to bend to the body of EU law, the European Court nor indeed to its financial commitments. Now, she also faces a small but determined body of MPs within her own party that are willing to break ranks to ensure a very soft Brexit. Never before has Britain been such a disunited kingdom.
