May delays parliamentary vote on Brexit deal

[LONDON] British Prime Minister Theresa May is deferring a parliamentary vote set for Tuesday on her Brexit deal after repeated warnings from lawmakers that the scale of the expected defeat could sink her government.

Addressing parliament, she stressed she is not abandoning the deal which was hammered out with the EU.

Mrs May said she had listened to the concerns of critics.

"It is clear that while there is broad support for many of the key aspects of the deal, on one issue, the Northern Ireland backstop, there remains widespread and deep concern," Mrs May said.

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

"The deal would be rejected by a significant margin... we will therefore defer the vote scheduled tomorrow," the UK leader told the House of Commons.

Earlier Mrs May convened a conference call with senior ministers to discuss what do with her compromise deal that allowed the United Kingdom to exit while staying in the EU's orbit.

The decision to postpone the crucial vote came just hours after the top EU court ruled that Britain could cancel its notice to leave the bloc, which it is due to exit on March 29.

REUTERS,AFP