Britain's PM May calls off key vote on her Brexit deal

London

HOURS after the European Court of Justice ruled that the United Kingdom can unilaterally revoke its divorce notice, UK Prime Minister Theresa May called off a crucial vote in Parliament on whether to approve her Brexit deal.

She told the House of Commons that although there will be a delay, she would not be abandoning her deal with the European Union (EU). Parliament was due to vote on Tuesday evening, but that is now to be rescheduled.

The pound fell to the lowest since June 2017 as market fears about a no-deal Brexit resurfaced after the report that Mrs May's vote will be delayed. UK government bonds rallied, with yields hitting the lowest since August.

The prospect of an overwhelming revolt from members of Parliament had forced the premier to rethink her plan.

Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee representing rank-and-file Tory lawmakers, said Mrs May's decision to pull the vote "is clearly the right thing to do". He is a key figure in all this because he receives the letters from lawmakers that could initiate a leadership challenge in May.

Last week, he had publicly urged the premier to drop her plans for a vote. Her reported plan to delay the vote throws the Brexit process into further turmoil, as she is due back in Brussels at an EU summit on Thursday, and is expected to ask for fresh concessions in an attempt to revive the chances of getting her deal through Parliament.

"Everyone knows what the bone of contention is - the backstop - and there are a large number of MPs who are prepared to compromise," Mr Brady said.

The backstop plan is to keep the whole of the UK, including Northern Ireland, in the EU's customs union to keep the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland open. This is essential to prevent a renewal of violence in that region.

Now the prime minister can go to Brussels and re-negotiate, but Mr Brady added that the bloc has made clear it won't re-open negotiations.

Earlier in the day the European Court of Justice (ECJ) opened the way to a potential second UK referendum on Brexit.

Despite opposition from Mrs May, her Cabinet and Brexit MPs, there is a large movement towards a "people's vote". It comes from the youth, especially in London, the opposition Liberal Democrats, Scottish Nationalists, a large wing of the Labour Party and Conservative MPs who wish to remain in the European Union (EU).

The referendum path is now wide open as the ECJ has ruled that the UK can cancel Brexit without the permission of the other 27 European Union (EU) members.

ECJ judges said that this could be done without altering the terms of Britain's current membership requirements. In other words, the UK can stay in the EU under present terms, if it wishes to do so.

This would be politically unacceptable following the Brexit vote in the 2016 referendum. But since the ruling gives the UK Parliament enough time to withdraw from the March 29, 2019 Brexit date, it allows Parliament several more months to organise another referendum for the summer of next year.

A group of Scottish and other anti-Brexit politicians brought the case on whether the UK could unilaterally halt Brexit.

Both the British government and EU opposed them. Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland's devolved Parliament, said that it was "now open to the House of Commons" to allow time for another referendum.

Both Scotland and Northern Ireland had overwhelmingly voted to remain in the EU and Ms Sturgeon has continually complained that Brexit was basically a decision of England and not the United Kingdom.

"We now all know beyond any doubt that we can stay in the EU - it's not too late," said Margaret Beckett, former foreign secretary in Tony Blair's Labour government and a prominent supporter of a second referendum.

"In the next few days, we can take Theresa May's deal off the table. Other Brexit options do not work any better than that of the prime minister because there is no deal that can keep all the promises made two years ago."

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt told the BBC that people would be "shocked and very angry" if any government delayed leaving the EU and it was "certainly not the intention of the government".

Environment Secretary Michael Gove, a prominent Brexiteer, stated that "17.4 million people sent a clear message that we want to leave the European Union, and that means also leaving the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice".