British PM Theresa May's Brexit deal was defeated heartily in Parliament
As expected, Parliament voted against British Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit withdrawal plan for the second time on Tuesday.
The "no" vote won by a hearty margin — 391 to 242, forcing another parliamentary vote on Wednesday on whether to back a "no-deal" Brexit. Wednesday's vote will be a free vote for the Conservative Party — that is, members will vote according to their conscience rather than on party lines.
May said that although it's crucial that the U.K. secures a deal, she is committed to honoring the 2016 referendum. Therefore, the default remains that the U.K. will leave the European Union without a deal regarding new trade practices.
UK PM Theresa May says MPs now face "an unenviable choice" of what to do next, stressing that "voting against the deal and for an extension does not solve the problem"#BrexitVote latest: https://t.co/B1iEVm5bdm pic.twitter.com/MKfBMfiO1Q
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) March 12, 2019
If members of Parliament vote against a "no-deal" Brexit, then there will be yet another vote on Thursday, in which MPs will vote to extend article 50, which all of Parliament hopes to avoid.
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and Ian Blackford, the Scottish Nationalist Party leader at Westminster, said that May's second defeat was grounds for a general election and a second Brexit referendum, respectively.