British PM Theresa May has offered MPs the chance to vote for a second referendum if MPs back her Brexit deal next month — a move she described as “one last chance” for the troubled plan.
She said if parliament approves her EU divorce agreement, MPs could, within that legislation, vote to have a confirmatory referendum.
But there were early signs late Tuesday that the move would not be enough to succeed.
Other changes she outlined included:
a legal obligation to find alternatives to the Irish backstop by December 2020
no changes to environmental protections the UK enjoys as a member of the European Union
a new bill to protect workers’ rights
May was announcing modifications to the withdrawal agreement after weeks of talks with the UK’s main opposition party, Labour.
The discussions broke down without a deal but May will hope her tweaks will be enough to persuade MPs to get over the line.
MPs are set to again vote on her Brexit deal on the week beginning Monday, June 3. They have rejected it three times already this year.
Despite the most significant policy shift in weeks of political frustration, it was soon clear that many of May’s most vocal critics were unimpressed
Prominent pro-Brexit MP Jacob Rees-Mogg said May’s package of compromises was “worse than before” while former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said he would also be voting against it. “We can and must do better,” he said.
May’s former Brexit Secretary, Dominic Raab, said he has “listened carefully” but “cannot support legislation that would be the vehicle for a second referendum.”
“Either option would frustrate rather than deliver Brexit – and break our clear manifesto promises,” he said.
The Prime Minister’s latest proposals are worse than before and would leave us bound deeply in to the EU. It is time to leave on WTO terms.
Nigel Dodds of the Democratic Unionist Party told Northern Irish broadcaster UTV, referring to her exit deal. “Everybody is saying why should we vote for this when we don’t know who the next prime minister is going to be.”
Labour MP, Seema Malhotra, described the move as “a gimmick from a desperate PM who has run out of road and refuses to compromise and for three years has side-lined parliament and the country.” – Euronews.
