The most immediate and significant outcome of these votes is that the opposition Labour Party, assuming it doesn’t break its word, now officially supports a second public vote on Brexit, after MPs rejected its alternative plan.
This triggered Labour’s announcement on Monday that it would support a second referendum, were its alternative plan rejected. In turn, that led to a big policy shift by Theresa May on Tuesday when she told the House of Commons that, should her deal fail on March 12, Members of Parliament would be given the opportunity to vote in favor of a no deal on Marcy 13, and (stay with us) should that also fail, a vote to request a delay to Brexit would follow on March 14.
While Labour is in no position to call a second vote, the longer May goes without her deal being approved by parliament, it can put the government under enormous political pressure. And while the hurdles to a second referendum are numerous, the fact that Labour supports it (and the government is so weak) makes its prospects a little too real for hardline Brexiteers’ taste.
And it’s these Brexiteers, who hate May’s deal for being too soft and for conceding too much to Brussels, that can help her get it across the line — if enough carrots are dangled in front of them.
The Brexit battlefield has shifted since the first meaningful vote on January 29 from May’s deal or no deal to May’s deal or Brexit being delayed — or maybe even stopped altogether, should the political reality sufficiently change.
While no deal is officially still possible, it’s becoming increasingly clear that there’s no majority for it in Parliament, and, moreover, lawmakers are willing to take action to prevent it. May’s decision to raise the prospect of a Brexit delay a huge victory for that tribe, which should terrify the hardliners.
So the plan to scare hardliners might be working and the Brexiteer dream of a clean break from Europe could be dying?
Second, should the Brexiteers want to further push their luck, a Brexit delay simply extends the status quo, meaning that the new deadline still requires a deal to be agreed or a default no Brexit.
It’s all getting a bit real in London, and as the Brexit deadline looms ever closer, it’s hard to see how any of the warring Brexit tribes will be satisfied with the ultimate outcome.
Source : Nbcnewyork