The opposition Labour party is hinting at a second 'public vote' as the chaos of a no-deal Brexit looms on the horizon. The EU's Donald Tusk has said it would be "rational" to postpone the date.
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On Monday evening, the Labour Party said it would back a public vote if parliament rejected the party's alternative plan for leaving the bloc.
"This week Labour will put its alternative plan for a vote in the House of Commons," Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer said on Twitter. "If Parliament rejects our plan, then Labour will deliver on the promise we made at our annual conference and support a public vote."
Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry told Channel 4 news: "We would have a referendum on whatever deal may or may not pass through parliament, and we would be saying to people — ‘Do you want this? Or do you want to Remain?’ It would be a confirmation referendum, a bit like what happened with the Good Friday Agreement."
Labour's Jeremy Corby and Keir StarmerImage: Reuters/F. Lenoir
EU's Tusk calls for delay
One of the European Union's top officials called on British Prime Minister Theresa May to extend Brexit negotiations on Monday, a day after she delayed a major Brexit vote in Parliament.
European Council President Donald Tusk said that keeping the current divorce date at March 29 would be risky, as a revised deal is not in sight and businesses are worried about a chaotic exit under a no-deal situation.
"I believe that in the situation we are in, an extension would be a rational solution," Tusk told reporters at an EU summit with the Arab League in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh.
He added that "all the 27 (member states) will show maximum understanding and goodwill" in order to clear the way for postponing Brexit.
"The less time there is until March 29, the greater is the likelihood of an extension," Tusk said.
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May digs in her heels
Despite mounting pressure to push back the date, May remained firm in her resolution to agree a deal by the end of March.
"It is within our grasp to leave with a deal on 29th of March and I think that that is where all of our energies should be focused," May said at a press conference in Sharm El-Sheikh.
She added that "any delay is a delay. It doesn't address the issue. It doesn't resolve the issue."
May also met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker at the summit in Egypt, in an attempt to secure changes to her Brexit deal that would garner enough support from British MPs for her Brexit withdrawal agreement to pass through parliament.
Following their talks, a German government spokesperson said that Berlin is "doing all that it can to ensure a structured exit."
On Sunday, May announced that a parliamentary vote on the Brexit deal won't be held as planned this week, and may be delayed until March 12. May's first divorce deal with the EU was overwhelmingly rejected by British lawmakers in January.
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What happens next
May is due to address British lawmakers in Parliament on Tuesday to update them on the progress of her talks with EU leaders. On Tuesday morning, her de-facto deputy David Lidington said he hoped there could be a meaningful vote on the deal as early as next week.
Labour is due to present legislation on Wednesday that would force the government to extend the Brexit negotiation period if it has not approved a deal by March 13.
May had said she would present a revised divorce deal to Parliament and hold a vote on it by March 12.
This septic isle
The head of the UK parliament's anti-EU research group, Jacob Rees-Mogg, says no-deal would boost the economy by 1.1 trillion pounds (€1.32 trillion). Not many agree with him. So, what would a no-deal Brexit look like?
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It never rains
A delay by UK Prime Minister Theresa May to allow Parliament to vote on her Brexit deal has increased the chances Britain will leave the bloc without a deal in March. The odds on a no-deal Brexit have shortened to 2/1, according to oddschecker.com, while Steve Eisman, the trader whose prediction of the 2008 crisis was dramatized in the film The Big Short, is betting against UK banks.
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Money where your mouth is
The IMF says that while some sectors like agriculture and mining might benefit, the majority of sectors would shrink by between about 1 percent and 33 percent. The Bank of England said no-deal would wipe between 4.75 percent and 7.75 percent off what the UK would have produced by 2024 and the pound would fall by 25 percent.
Image: picture-alliance/empics/C. Radburn
Not waving, but drowning
The EU has said the UK would have "third country" status under a no-deal scenario, giving it the same status as China, Russia and Pakistan. All goods crossing EU borders would be subject to tariffs of up to 38 percent. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said additional paperwork attached to trading under WTO rules would act as an extra tariff of up to an average of 6.5 percent.
Image: Getty Images/S. Rayford
Love's labor lost
Britain’s farmers and manufacturers face the largest shortage of skilled workers since 1989 due to a fall in the numbers of EU27 nationals coming to work since the Brexit vote. A no deal would likely accelerate that process.
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A road to nowhere
The financial industry and British regulators say a hard Brexit poses a threat to trillions of euros worth of derivative and insurance contracts London could lose up to to €800 billion to Frankfurt, lobby group Frankfurt Main Finance has said. Some 30 banks and financial firms have already chosen the city as the site of their new EU headquarters, with others opting for Dublin or Paris.
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Movers and shakers left in limbo
No-deal would have significant implications for people's ability to go where they want. A €7 charge for visiting the EU's Schengen Area would kick in in 2021, after the UK's transition period ends. British expats would face uncertainty, as many foreign governments have not yet established their rules for residency under no-deal.
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Can't beat a good queue
The UK Road Haulage Association has said a lack of planning over no-deal would mean the manufacturing sector would be put under "severe pressure" and hauliers would go out of business. European airports have warned that no-deal would cause "major disruption and heightened safety risks" to the air network. Ryanair's chief executive Michael O'Leary has warned planes could be grounded.
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All in it together
The biggest impact of no deal could be felt in Ireland, which exports 12 percent of its goods and 40 percent of its food to the UK, and two-thirds of its other exports travel through the UK. The IMF believes the Netherlands, Denmark, the Czech Republic and Belgium also face taking moderate hits to their economies of between 0.5 percent and 0.7 percent.
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Where there is harmony, May brings discord
The Police Federation has said it was worried about "widescale disruption and dangers for the general public." Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has said 3,500 troops are on standby to cope with the fallout of no deal. The government is preparing for potential shortages of key items in the wake of a no-deal Brexit. But May refused to guarantee the health service (NHS) would have enough medicines.
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Christmas-voting turkeys play chicken in Ireland
The border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland would remain unresolved with no deal. The main sticking point has been the Irish 'backstop' — the insurance scheme for avoiding a hard border in Northern Ireland. One solution has been a Canada-style agreement that would remove most EU restrictions but would not abolish the need for a hard border. But uncertainty breeds fear.
