- A vote is to be held on March 29, 2019, about the involvement of parliament in the Brexit political declaration agreement
- If the vote passes, an extension till May 22, 2019, will be granted by the EU
- If it does not pass the UK will have till April 12, 2019, to come up with a deal
The drama that has surrounded Brexit has reached a peak in the last few weeks. Following the rejection of Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal twice, the members of parliament elected to take over the Brexit process and it seemed some order had been restored.
On the contrary, the UK isn’t out of the woods yet as the members of parliament are due to vote on the withdrawal agreement, which is a fundamental part of the Brexit plan, on March 29, 2019.
The vote will determine whether or not members of parliament will have in say in the details of the political declaration section of the deal or whether it will be left to the ministers to decide, in a fresh debate that will determine just how long the UK has to wrap up Brexit activities.
What is the Withdrawal Agreement?
The withdrawal agreement isn’t the entirety of the Brexit deal but a part that specifies the terms under which the UK will leave the EU such as the transition period, settlement details and the rights of citizens.
Needless to say, members of parliament will be strongly against the idea of leaving these sorts of details in the hands of the ministers. The reason for this current situation is that after May’s deals were repeatedly rejected and it was apparent that a third try would not be wise, an extension was asked for from the EU.
The offer then given by the EU was that if the withdrawal agreement could be agreed on by March 29, 2019, an extension till May 22, 2019, would be given. If not, the UK would only have till April 12, 2019, to come up with an agreement or leave without one, an option no one wants.
Even if the withdraw agreement is agreed upon, the political declaration section of the deal will also need to be agreed upon to satisfy existing laws that would prevent members of Parliament from ratifying the deal altogether. It is believed that most members of parliament will vote against the agreement.
Negations regarding Brexit have led to a loggerhead situation, with Theresa May even offering to resign as Prime Minister, allow someone else to lead Brexit negotiations with the EU and then leave as Prime Minister when another leader is elected.
