Britain’s May rules out vote on triggering Brexit
Print Edition
BRITISH Prime Minister Theresa May said yesterday parliament would have every opportunity to debate her government’s plans to leave the European Union, but ruled out letting it vote on triggering the formal Brexit procedure.
May has been under pressure to divulge more of her plans for Britain’s exit from the bloc beyond her catchphrase that “Brexit means Brexit,” but in a lively session of parliament her government said that it had little concrete to reveal.
Uncertainty over what kind of deal Britain will pursue in some of the most complex talks it has undertaken since World War II has unsettled markets.
Britain’s currency is particularly sensitive to any suggestion that the country might be heading towards a “hard Brexit”, or a clean break from the EU’s single market in order to control immigration.
Sterling, which has lost 18 percent against the dollar since the June Brexit referendum, rallied on reports that parliament would get to vote on May’s deal, but eased slightly after her spokeswoman said there would be no vote on triggering Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty. This starts the formal negotiation process, lasting up to two years, until Britain’s departure.
“The idea that parliament somehow wasn’t going to be able to discuss, debate, question ... was frankly completely wrong,” May said when asked by an opposition Labour lawmaker whether parliament would get a vote on the government’s Brexit plan. “Parliament is going to have every opportunity to debate this issue.”
Increasingly conscious that markets are moving on her words, May was clear that she would be “ambitious” in talks with the other 27 EU members to get what she called the best deal. “And that will include the maximum possible access to the European market for firms to trade with and operate within,” May told parliament, a statement which helped sterling to gain around a quarter of a cent against the dollar.
Appointed prime minister soon after the June 23 vote on EU membership, replacing David Cameron who resigned, May has come under pressure to drop her insistence that she will not give a “running commentary” on the Brexit negotiations.
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