May offers to quit if Brexit deal approved by parliament
MPs reject all 8 alternative options in indicative votes
Theresa May offered to quit as prime minister in a final roll of the dice to get her withdrawal deal through parliament as MPs rejected a series of alternative Brexit options on Wednesday.
May offered her resignation, but no departure date, to MPs at a packed meeting of backbenchers on Wednesday afternoon in return for approval of her contentious deal. The prime minister had already last year promised not to lead the party at the next General election.
“I have heard very clearly the mood of the parliamentary party. I know there is a desire for a new approach – and new leadership – in the second phase of the Brexit negotiations, and I won’t stand in the way of that," she told them.
"I am prepared to leave this job earlier than I intended in order to do what is right for our country and our party."
Several senior Tories, including the perennial leadership seeker Boris Johnson, indicated they would support May's deal.
The prime minister wants to bring her twice-defeated deal back to the House of Commons this week, but Speaker John Bercow reiterated his previous ruling that the government motion could only be retabled if there were "substantial" changes to the proposals.
Downing Street hit back, saying a "significant development" had occurred at last week's EU summit in Brussels after May agreed extra reassurances over the Irish backstop and the Brexit date had changed.
The Democratic Unionist Party, on whom May relies to stay in power, repeated their refusal to back her plan unless the controversial Irish backstop -- which keeps the UK in a customs union if no trade deal is agreed -- was removed.
EU leaders last week granted a delay to Brexit to 22 May, on condition of May’s deal winning parliamentary support. If it fails again she must return to Brussels before 12 April to set out what she plans to do next, which could include a longer extension.
In the Commons, all eight alternative options, including a customs union with the EU, a referendum to endorse any deal and a Norway-style model, were defeated in the first day of debates and votes. A no-deal Brexit was soundly beaten by 400 votes to 160.
The closest vote called for the government to negotiate a “permanent and comprehensive UK-wide customs union with the EU” in any Brexit deal. It lost by 272 votes to 264.
A plan tabled by the former foreign secretary Margaret Beckett requiring a referendum to confirm any Brexit deal was defeated lost by 268 votes to 295.
The opposition Labour shadow housing minister Melanie Onn resigned and three shadow cabinet ministers abstained in protest against a three-line whip to vote in favour of plans for a second referendum. A total of 27 Labour MPs voted against the proposal.
Shadow cabinet ministers Jon Trickett, Ian Lavery and Andrew Gwynne all abstained to register their opposition.