British PM May's Brexit plans set for defeat, teeing up Wednesday showdown

By William James

 

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street in London, June 13, 2018. REUTERS/Toby Melville

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plans face rejection by parliament's upper chamber on Monday, setting the stage for a high-stakes confrontation with rebel lawmakers later in the week which could rock her minority government.

 

Ministers are seeking approval for the final wording of the legislation that will end Britain's membership of the European Union next year, but have fallen into a bitter row with pro-European lawmakers who want parliament to have a say in the exit process if talks in Brussels fail to reach an acceptable deal.

 

The row threatens May's authority over her divided Conservative Party, and underlines the delicate balancing act she has to pull off to keep those who want a "softer" Brexit onside, without upsetting those in favour of a clean break.

 

On Monday, the House of Lords will debate different proposals for a so-called "meaningful" vote - the role that parliament will play if lawmakers reject the exit deal May negotiates with the EU, or if she fails to agree an exit deal at all.

 

Talks between May and the pro-EU rebels on a compromise plan broke down last week at the last minute, leaving two similar but crucially different proposals on the table.

 

Ministers have so far agreed to give parliament a symbolic vote on the government's strategy if its initial exit deal is rejected, but not to give parliament the power to force changes to its plan.

 

The rebels are holding out for more, warning that they could bring down the government. Ministers are digging in and refusing to give ground for now.

 

May's Conservatives do not have a majority in the unelected House of Lords, and with the opposition Labour Party deciding to back a rival proposal, the government faces defeat when the debate begins some time after 1400 GMT.

 

That would tee up a showdown in parliament's directly elected chamber on Wednesday which will be crucial for May's attempts to resist a move seen as a step towards a softer Brexit, meaning closer ties to the EU on issues likes customs and regulation.

 

Both houses of parliament must agree the final wording before it can become law, but results in the lower house, where May rules with the support of a small Northern Irish party, are more consequential for her leadership.

 

Failure to keep her party in line would signal trouble for several other key, but contentious, pieces of legislation needed to prepare for Brexit, including on central issues such as trade and customs policy.

 

(Reporting by William James; editing by Andrew Roche)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-06-18

Grand mother May is appears to be having same kind of problems Uncle Tu is having. She feels she is doing the right thing for her  family(nation) but they just do not understand

1 hour ago, lovelomsak said:

Grand mother May is appears to be having same kind of problems Uncle Tu is having. She feels she is doing the right thing for her  family(nation) but they just do not understand

 

Earlier she tried to by-pass parliament by using the Royal Prerogative. She was challenged and lost in court, in the High Court(Appeals) and even took it to the Supreme Court. All on tax payers money and all trying to give her cabinet the right to make all the decisions without any parliamentary involvement. A sort of Article 44 indeed.

 

Only she failed in court, her ill advised early election cost her party its majority and she can't control the members of her cabinet. 

 

Bet she envies certain other world leaders just like Trump does.

Who will blink first, the extreme Tory Remoaners or the Government? It will be interesting to see who does.

Edited June 18, 20188 yr by terryw

58 minutes ago, terryw said:

Who will blink first, the extreme Tory Remoaners or the Government? It will be interesting to see who does.

Sorry, don't get it. What do you mean by that?

Clock is ticking! Tick, tack! Tick, tack. May-Day is coming.

I did have some sympathy for May and her poisoned chalice but not anymore.  The lies are coming thick and fast now  and she appears to be backtracking on commitments she made before last weeks vote.  She really should be removed but none of the Brexit heroes have got the guts to do it.

She is a covert (?) remoaner, secretly wishing Brexit will fail while pretending she is for the people's vote.

1 hour ago, alant said:

She is a covert (?) remoaner, secretly wishing Brexit will fail while pretending she is for the people's vote.

Many say that and she was a remainer at the referendum.  Makes you wonder why she should then stand for PM knowing that she had to commit to delivering Brexit.  Should have done what Boris did and hide behind the sofa.  He did back May for PM as did Rees Mogg.  Could they have seen what was bound to happen?  Better to be sniping from the sidelines than actually grasping the poisoned chalice themselves.

She is desperate to hang on to power for as long as she can and will promise anything to anybody if it keeps her in charge.She is stupid nasty and shallow. One day it will all come back to bite her like the red lines she conjured out of thin air a couple of years ago. Nice soundbite, and got a standing ovation  at conference, but the have stymied the negotiations. 

 

Boris on the other hand, it a much more astute political animal. I'm convinced he's trying to get himself fired, so when the impossible edifice that Brexit comes crashing down all around he's not part of the team that failed to deliver it. If we'd only done it his way.....

The  Bookies  will  be  doing  well  then ! lmao

The NHS Birthday give away won it for May ?

3 hours ago, Grouse said:

The NHS Birthday give away won it for May ?

Oh yes - the give away that was later revealed to be more of a take-away, yet the party of low taxes never uttered a whimper about funding...

Just to keep it up to date.  The government suffered another defeat in the House of Lords, this time by a much bigger margin!  It was because May went back on what she had agreed before the last vote in the commons. 

 

To add to May's woes  Phil Hammond has issued a statement over future government spending.  Quite simple, because of May's cavalier move to try to kid the people into believing that the pledged money for the NHS is coming from a fictitious "Brexit dividend", there is no more money for anything else including schools, defence, prisons and the police!

 

He added that because of May's NHS pledge the government would need to find money to replace other funding providing (at present) by the Brussels.

2 hours ago, dunroaming said:

Just to keep it up to date.  The government suffered another defeat in the House of Lords, this time by a much bigger margin!  It was because May went back on what she had agreed before the last vote in the commons. 

 

To add to May's woes  Phil Hammond has issued a statement over future government spending.  Quite simple, because of May's cavalier move to try to kid the people into believing that the pledged money for the NHS is coming from a fictitious "Brexit dividend", there is no more money for anything else including schools, defence, prisons and the police!

 

He added that because of May's NHS pledge the government would need to find money to replace other funding providing (at present) by the Brussels.

?

The bloated unelected House of Lords should be trimmed down to size or reigned in...full of self-righteous unelected and entitled morons that live in the past. Get rid of most of them...no need for any more that 100 of them instead of over 800 of these pompous pricks.

6 minutes ago, Sir Dude said:

The bloated unelected House of Lords should be trimmed down to size or reigned in...full of self-righteous unelected and entitled morons that live in the past. Get rid of most of them...no need for any more that 100 of them instead of over 800 of these pompous pricks.

Every single Man Jack Brexiteer complainer lined up behind Royal Prerogative not so long ago, so their vain protestations as to the Lords proceedings are worth precisely zilch.

13 minutes ago, Sir Dude said:

The bloated unelected House of Lords should be trimmed down to size or reigned in...full of self-righteous unelected and entitled morons that live in the past. Get rid of most of them...no need for any more that 100 of them instead of over 800 of these pompous pricks.

Well those pompous pricks are the only ones stopping May from screwing all the people at the moment.  If Johnson and RM aren't going to step up ( and the cowards almost certainly won't) then someone has to rein her in!

17 minutes ago, dunroaming said:

Well those pompous pricks are the only ones stopping May from screwing all the people at the moment.  If Johnson and RM aren't going to step up ( and the cowards almost certainly won't) then someone has to rein her in!

Actually, they're stopping May from delivering what the majority voted for. They're trying to bring about a scenario where they can stop Brexit all together if the deal is not what they want.

 

That will be a self fulfilling prophecy because the EU (armed with that knowledge) will not give us a good deal.

1 minute ago, CG1 Blue said:

Actually, they're stopping May from delivering what the majority voted for. They're trying to bring about a scenario where they can stop Brexit all together if the deal is not what they want.

 

That will be a self fulfilling prophecy because the EU (armed with that knowledge) will not give us a good deal.

A  good   deal? lol

Th  UK  via  May is  down  selling  the  Mansion and  you object  to the possibility of being  gazumpted? lol

 

14 hours ago, CG1 Blue said:

Actually, they're stopping May from delivering what the majority voted for. They're trying to bring about a scenario where they can stop Brexit all together if the deal is not what they want.

 

That will be a self fulfilling prophecy because the EU (armed with that knowledge) will not give us a good deal.

 

14 hours ago, Dumbastheycome said:

A  good   deal? lol

Th  UK  via  May is  down  selling  the  Mansion and  you object  to the possibility of being  gazumpted? lol

 

I don't understand the second sentence, but agree with the first.

 

CGI Blue and others are right - the house of lords are self-entitled, arrogant, and most certainly not worth the money they are paid!  On top of which,  "they're trying to bring about a scenario where they can stop Brexit all together if the deal is not what they want."

1 hour ago, dick dasterdly said:

CGI Blue and others are right - the house of lords are self-entitled, arrogant, and most certainly not worth the money they are paid!  On top of which,  "they're trying to bring about a scenario where they can stop Brexit all together if the deal is not what they want."

The Hard Brexiteers, without exception, while pushing the Royal Prerogative line, made the same accusation against the House of Commons, the High Court, the Supreme Court and anybody else who doesn't agree with their Hard Brexit agenda. Fortunately their subjective opinions count for little except hot air. Constitutional niceties are what count and it is that which sends our Brexiteer team into a frenzy anytime any part of Parliament pops up against their pet nostrums.

11 minutes ago, SheungWan said:

The Hard Brexiteers, without exception, while pushing the Royal Prerogative line, made the same accusation against the House of Commons, the High Court, the Supreme Court and anybody else who doesn't agree with their Hard Brexit agenda. Fortunately their subjective opinions count for little except hot air. Constitutional niceties are what count and it is that which sends our Brexiteer team into a frenzy anytime any part of Parliament pops up against their pet nostrums.

So you mean we get annoyed when our elected MPs hand over a decision to the public, and when that decision is made they try to block it, because they think they know better? Damn right!

Perhaps  not so long  before  a  better informed public is  asked  to  confirm  or  deny  Brexit.

Where  then to  run  for the  weasals  of  opportunity, the   rats  from a  sinking  ship?

 

9 hours ago, dick dasterdly said:

 

I don't understand the second sentence, but agree with the first.

 

CGI Blue and others are right - the house of lords are self-entitled, arrogant, and most certainly not worth the money they are paid!  On top of which,  "they're trying to bring about a scenario where they can stop Brexit all together if the deal is not what they want."

In one word..gazumped!