Quick-fire Brexit update: what now.

So if you’re watching the UK from abroad, you may wonder what on earth is going on. Don’t think anyone here knows.

In a nutshell, Parliament has been voting on a series of motions and amendments to Government motions, trying to flush out a consensus for anything. These votes have created the following situation:

1. Parliament voted heavily against leaving the EU without a deal in place. The threat of a no-deal Brexit was seen by Brexiteer MPs as a fantastic negotiating threat to the EU to force them into compromises favourable to the UK. Theresa May famously said ‘no deal is better than a bad deal.’ She then presented Parliament with a bad deal, and Parliament told her otherwise. Now she cannot sanction a no-deal Brexit without going against the clear will of Parliament.
2. But…no deal is not off the table. Despite the vote, the UK will, according to EU and UK law, leave the EU on March 29th, so if nothing else is agreed a no-deal will happen by default. Parliament feels this would be a disaster for the UK economy, based on the opinion of all the experts. The hard-Brexiteers disagree, based on a belief in our ability to muddle through.
3. Parliament also voted for Theresa May to request an extension of the period before the UK leaves the EU. Despite Parliament wanting this, it is not a given because all 27 European…