Theresa May at the Crossroads again. Brexit returns to Parliament which this time could give a turning point to the process of separation of the United Kingdom from the European Union, taking the negotiations directly into hand.
After rejection remedied two weeks ago, the heaviest that a British government has ever remedied since 1924, Downing Street could conquer another record: in the event that the Labor amendment on the postponement of Brexit is approved, the House of Commons would gain an incisiveness on the agenda politics that it never had in the past. Until now, in fact, the Government has always had priority in the work of Parliament and in the approval of laws. On January 29, Theresa May could set yet another embarrassing precedent.
But let's get to the point. The session foresees a vote on the lines that the prime minister will indicate she wants to follow after the Parliament's No to the ratification of the divorce agreement already reached in recent months with Brussels. This is a transitional vote, what matters above all will be the amendments.
The House of Commons will be asked to vote on a series of amendments to the Plan B by Theresa May, a plan very similar to the one rejected previously, seasoned however by some concessions on the backstop (the theoretical guarantee mechanism imposed by the EU to ensure the open border between Northern Ireland and Ireland) and by promises relating to further "negotiations" with Brussels on which, however, has already received a negative response from the EU.
Among the various proposals, there are two amendments to keep an eye on: the first proposes calling into question the backstop, the second foresees a postponement of Brexit.
In detail, the amendment presented by Labor MP Yvette Cooper provides the postponement of Brexit than the date set for March 29 in case May does not find a majority in Parliament on a new plan for February 26. If approved, Brexit would therefore be postponed to 31 December 2019.
The second amendment under the spotlight is that of the conservative Graham Brady, which if approved would instead commit Thresa May to undertake new negotiations with the European Union aimed at seeking "alternative solutions” to ensure a barrier-free border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, setting aside the much-contested Backstop. In this context, however, it must be borne in mind that Brussels has repeatedly reiterated its No to possible changes to the agreement already reached.
May for her part, seems intent on taking sides against the first amendment, showing an openness towards the second in yet another attempt to buy time to try to reunite the conservatives and play on time: the closer the release date the more for the Premier it will be easy to carry on the "either-or policy" in front of Parliament: if you don't vote for my plan, May has already said in the House of Commons, the No deal catastrophe will become a reality.
