PM focused on convincing MPs to back Brexit plan
Theresa May said she was focused on persuading MPs to back her Brexit deal at a vote in parliament rather than preparing a plan B.
May secured an agreement with European Union leaders on Sunday that will see Britain leave the bloc in March next year with continued close trade ties, but the odds look stacked against her getting it through a deeply divided British parliament.
The deal has been criticised by both eurosceptics and europhiles among her own Conservative Party lawmakers. Opposition parties and the small Northern Irish party which props up May’s minority government have all said they plan to vote against it.
"The focus of myself and the government is on the vote that is taking place on Dec. 11. We will be explaining to members of parliament why we believe that this is a good deal for the UK," May told reporters on the plane to the G20 summit in Argentina when asked if she had a plan B.
"I ask every member of parliament to think about delivering on the Brexit vote and doing it in a way that is in the national interest and doing it in a way that is in the interests of their constituents because it protects jobs and livelihoods."
May has said that if lawmakers reject the agreement it could see the world’s fifth-largest economy leaving the bloc without a deal, or even not leaving at all.
Asked which of those two options was more likely if her deal does not pass, she said: "We haven’t had the vote yet. Let’s focus on the deal that we have negotiated with the European Union."
On Wednesday, the Bank of England warned Britain risked suffering an even bigger hit to its economy than during the global financial crisis 10 years ago if it leaves the EU in the worst-case, no-deal Brexit scenario.
Published: by Radio NewsHub