BREAKING: Theresa May calls off tomorrow’s crucial vote on EU deal
BRITISH Prime Minister Theresa May has dramatically postponed tomorrow’s crucial House of Commons vote on the Brexit withdrawal agreement she reached with the EU.
Ms May announced the decision in the House today saying, to laughs from MPs, that there was support for many parts of the deal but that there was objection to the backstop.
The backstop is an insurance policy included in the deal so as to avoid a hard Irish border in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Ms May said she would go to visit other EU leaders as well as officials from the European Commission and European Council leaders’ summit later this week to “seek reassurances”.
The latest development is being viewed as a clear admission by the UK prime minister that she does not believe she can get a majority of MPs to back her agreement.
Speaking earlier today, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he had not been made aware of any plans by Mrs May to delay the vote when they spoke on Sunday, and that the “withdrawal agreement, including the Irish backstop, is the only agreement on the table”.
He said Ireland would be open to statements of clarification, but insisted the substance of the withdrawal agreement could not be changed.