LONDON — It was billed as the day that might break the U.K.'s Brexit deadlock. In the end, as with everything else in this tortured process, Saturday delivered in more confusion and delay.
Abuzz with anticipation, the British Parliament gathered for its first Saturday sitting in 37 years, a marquee event billed as "super Saturday."
Prime Minister Boris Johnson wanted to get Parliament's approval for his Brexit deal, a major step toward leaving the European Union at the end of the month.
However, rebel lawmakers had different ideas.
After a morning of heated debate and drama in the House of Commons, the rebels succeeded in their efforts to make Johnson wait for the big Brexit moment on which he has staked his political career.
Rather than delivering a decisive yes-no answer, the rebels opted for a third route: Withholding final judgment on the deal and forcing Johnson to ask Europe for yet another extension.
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They want more time to scrutinize and possibly tweak his plans. They also want to avoid the risk of the U.K. crashing out of the E.U. without a deal at all.
This extreme scenario could cause economic pain, food shortages and even civil unrest, according to expert models and government forecasts.
The Letwin amendment
Lawmakers voted 322 to 306 in favor of the Letwin amendment — named after former Conservative Cabinet member Oliver Letwin, who devised the motion.
He was one of 21 rebels the prime minister fired from the party last month for opposing his hardline plans.
Johnson must now write a letter to the E.U. later Saturday asking for yet another extension. But he has nonetheless vowed to stand by his promise to deliver Brexit at the end of the month.
"I will continue to do all I can to get Brexit done on Oct. 31," he said after losing the vote on the amendment.
The government has signaled it will attempt an effective re-run on Tuesday, which could yet deliver Johnson's historic moment.
Saturday's delay means the door is still open for a host of other options, including an early general election or even a second referendum.
Johnson's plan seeks to scrap all of the major trading rules that currently bind the U.K. to the E.U. But it will keep some of these ties in Northern Ireland.
This is an attempt to avoid a "hard border" being created with the Irish Republic, which is a separate country and will remain part of the E.U. after Brexit.
Many fear any kind of Irish border would see a return to sectarian violence that plagued the region until a peace deal in 1998.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/brexit-balance-ahead-decisive-super-saturday-u-k-parliament-n1068666
2019-10-19 13:50:00Z
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