14 January 2019•Update: 14 January 2019
By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal
LONDON
British Prime Minister Theresa May has sought to persuade U.K. lawmakers to back her Brexit deal, which will be voted in the parliament Tuesday.
"I ask MPs to consider the consequences of their actions on the faith of the British people in our democracy," May said in a speech at a factory in Stoke-on-Trent.
"Imagine if an anti-devolution House of Commons had said to the people of Scotland or Wales that despite voting in favor of a devolved legislature, parliament knew better and would overrule them. Or else force them to vote again," she said.
May argued that if the 2016 referendum result is not implemented the democratic process will be dealt a blow.
"What if we found ourselves in a situation where parliament tried to take the U.K. out of the EU in opposition to a remain vote?" she asked.
She said: "People's faith in the democratic process and their politicians would suffer catastrophic harm. We all have a duty to implement the result of the referendum."
Warning of "paralysis in parliament" if the deal is voted down, May said trust in politics would suffer greatly if the U.K. did not leave the EU.
May underlined that "based on the evidence of the last week", she now believed that MPs blocking Brexit is a "more likely outcome than leaving with no deal".
May welcomed new EU assurances over the impact of the deal on Northern Ireland, saying they had "legal force".
President of the European Council Donald Tusk and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker stressed, in a letter published minutes before May’s speech, that they will try to find technical solutions to the Irish border issue that would make the backstop redundant.
They said: “The European commission also shares your intentions for the future relationship to be in place as quickly as possible.
“Given our joint commitment to using best endeavours to conclude before the end of 2020 a subsequent agreement, which supersedes the protocol [ie, the backstop] in whole or in part, the commission is determined to give priority in our work programme to the discussion of proposals that might replace the backstop with alternative arrangements.
“In this context, facilitative arrangements and technologies will be considered.
“Any arrangements which supersede the protocol are not required to replicate its provisions in any respect, provided that the underlying objectives continue to be met.”
However, they said the withdrawal agreement can not be altered.
“We are not in a position to agree to anything that changes or is inconsistent with the withdrawal agreement,” they said.
The vote
Coming to the end of a road almost two-and-a-half years after British voters narrowly decided in 2016 to leave the EU, the Brexit deal reached with the EU will face a vote on Tuesday, Jan. 15, bringing the wrenching political saga to the brink of climax.
The vote was originally planned for Dec. 11, but May postponed it for more than a month as she foresaw a heavy defeat in the House.
The numbers
May needs the support of 320 MPs to have her deal voted through the House of Commons.
The total number of seats in the House is 650.
However, there are only 639 eligible votes, as Speaker John Bercow and his three deputies, as well as seven Sinn Fein MPs, will not cast ballots.
What happens if deal is rejected?
Scenarios should May suffer a defeat next week include her resignation, vote of no confidence in government, general elections, or a public referendum on the deal.
With two-and-a-half months left before the U.K.’s exit, the daunting option of a no-deal Brexit is also growing stronger, as EU officials have said there will be no changes to the deal no matter how parliament votes.
The U.K. is set to leave the bloc on March 29 after more than 40 years of membership.
