Theresa May tweaks Brexit deal in effort to win support
May says she will try again in early June by asking lawmakers to vote on a withdrawal agreement bill implementing the departure terms.
London: The British government on Tuesday debated tweaking its proposed European Union divorce terms in a last-ditch attempt to get Parliament’s backing for Prime Minister Theresa May’s deal with the bloc.
The Cabinet met to work out details of what May has called a ‘bold offer’ to win support for her Brexit agreement. But divided ministers looked unlikely to support the kind of sweeping alterations that could change lawmakers' minds on a divorce deal that has been rejected three times by Parliament.
Britain was due to leave the EU on March 29, but the bloc extended the deadline until October 31. Talks on securing a compromise between May's Conservatives and the opposition Labour Party broke down last week.
May says she will try again in early June by asking lawmakers to vote on a withdrawal agreement bill implementing the departure terms.
The bill is likely to include promises on issues such as workers' rights and environmental protections that are priorities for the left-of-center Labour Party.
But Labour foreign affairs spokeswoman Emily Thornberry said “we're going to vote against it” unless it is ‘radically different.’