Lawmakers’ Efforts to Rewrite Government Plan Imperil May’s Brexit Strategy
Mrs. May’s plan was agreed less than two weeks ago by her cabinet, prompting the resignations of two prominent cabinet ministers and a handful of junior ministers.
Among other provisions, it called for a free-trade area between the U.K. and the EU to ensure the free flow of goods after Britain’s withdrawal—a proposal that enraged hardline Brexit supporters because it would require the U.K. to effectively follow EU rules and standards.
.. Mrs. May lost her parliamentary majority in an ill-judged election last year and has struggled to impose order on a Conservative Party riven by disagreements over Brexit ever since.
Internal party debates have become increasingly ill-tempered and public. Dominic Grieve, a leading pro-EU Conservative, on Monday described the anti-EU wing’s legislative amendments as “malevolent.”
.. For negotiators in Brussels, the political turmoil will intensify questions over whether Mrs. May can deliver whatever Brexit deal she eventually agrees to, as splits in Parliament mean that almost any possible Brexit outcome may not command majority support.
.. The splits increase the chances, many lawmakers say, of Britain leaving the EU without a deal, an outcome that many businesses fear because it would mean there would be no legal basis for many economic transactions with the EU.