Brexit amendments establish guidelines for May

On January 30, 2019, the UK Parliament voted on several Brexit amendments. Of the many proposals, only two amendments passed.

One amendment that was passed 318 to 310 “rejects the United Kingdom leaving the European Union without a Withdrawal Agreement and a Framework for the Future Relationship.” In other words, Parliament will try to avoid a no-deal exit, but it is still a possibility. However, stronger plans attempting to circumvent a no-deal exit were all defeated, including Scottish Nationalist Party MP Ian Blackford’s amendment to completely rule out the possibility of a no-deal exit.

Jeremy Corbyn’s and Dominic Grieve’s amendments to initiate votes in Parliament on no-deal exit alternatives were also defeated by margins of 327 to 296 and 321 to 301 respectively. Yvette Cooper’s amendment to postpone Brexit if a deal could not be reached by February 26 — a month before the March 26 Brexit date — was likewise defeated in a 321 to 298 vote. This means that while Parliament would prefer a deal, a no-deal Brexit would be legal.

The other amendment that passed was by Conservative MP Sir Graham Brady, and it orders Theresa May to negotiate “alternative arrangements” to the backstop in preventing a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The backstop has been one of the the most contentious issues to arise from Brexit, with some Labour Party members calling for a permanent backstop and some Conservative Party members viewing the backstop as an obstacle preventing the UK from truly leaving the EU. Other EU members, however, have consistently stated that they are not willing to renegotiate on this front, making it unclear whether May will be able to achieve an alternative agreement.

Article by MoCo Student staff writer Kennedy Salamat of Montgomery Blair High School