British Prime Minister Theresa May could force a second vote in Parliament on her Withdrawal Agreement with the EU (Brexit), if the government loses the vote to be held on Tuesday, as is widely expected, a leading UK daily has said. The vote is expected to begin by 7pm GMT.
The Sun reported May could offer MPs more concessions from the EU in order to compel them to vote in favour of the Withdrawal Agreement in a second vote. It has been projected that the Theresa May government will lose the Brexit vote scheduled for Tuesday as MPs, cutting across party lines, are opposed to the Withdrawal agreement for varying reasons.
The Sun claims May could fly to Brussels, the headquarters of the EU, soon after Brexit vote on Tuesday.
The British Parliament has 650 members; the ruling Conservatives have 317 seats and have a working majority with the support of 10 MPs of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). With the DUP and several Conservative MPs opposing the Brexit deal, the May government is staring at a significant defeat. It has been speculated that May's position as prime minister may become untenable if the government loses by over 100 votes.
However, the opposition Labour party's demands to call an early general election are yet to find support from the ruling side.
A key point of disagreement over the Brexit deal has been the 'Irish Backstop', which relates to the status of customs checks on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Once the UK leaves the EU, the island would have two separate customs regimes that would necessitate border checks, which both sides want to avoid.