Prime Minister Theresa May was possibly reminiscing with glee the amount of success she had gathered from the meet at Brussels. Unfortunately, her happiness didn’t last long.
Whatever the deal she struck in Brussels, her Parliament made clear that Britain was not with May in December. The PM experienced the taste of defeat (for the first time) over the Brexit issue very recently. There were many divisions in the voting inside the Parliament this time. But, the message was clear: the House of Commons wants the premier to change her stratagem.
The Parliament has advised Prime Minister May to go for a soft Brexit so that Britain does not lose something ‘Big’ while bargaining with the European Union (EU). The House delivered a clear verdict, because majority of the parliamentarians believed that there was no need to hurry the decision. In fact, they wanted to discuss issues related to Brexit in the Parliament. They also advised the PM to consider Britain’s long-term interests, before finalising the process.
Since becoming the PM in 2016, May has stressed on a ‘quick Brexit’, as this stand helped her become the “Moon among the Stars”. So, the latest voting in the Parliament may well be considered as her political defeat. Even some Conservative MPs joined the chorus with the Opposition, urging her to follow the advise. Here lies what may be termed as her second political defeat.

Theresa May

Despite having some differences, PM May didn’t expect such rebellion from her Tory friends on the Brexit issue. Because of the Tories, the Theresa May government suffered the humiliating defeat in the House of Commons, as MPs backed an amendment to her flagship Brexit Bill, limiting the powers it would grant to ministers. British MPs voted to give the Parliament the final say on any withdrawal deal with the EU, thus, delivering a big blow to the May Administration. The MPs voted for an amendment to demand the Parliament pass a separate bill to approve any final agreement signed with the bloc and the government lost by a narrow margin of 309 to 305 votes.
It has also been understood that the Tory Party is quite isolated from the society over the Brexit issue. The Tories are in favour of a quick solution and they are ready to pay any price for that. Even they are ready to compromise with national interests. On the other hand, Britons want to leave the EU, but with dignity and without harming the British economy. Once again, there is a clear division in the British society. Also, there is plenty of excitement. In June, a survey report portrayed the actual picture of the British society. However, the Tory leaders ignored the report.
Opposition Labour Party, too, is facing some problems. On the question of Brexit, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has taken an ‘extremist’ stand, triggering a division in the party. Many Labour MPs believe that Corbyn should soften his stand. ‘Moderate’ Labour leaders have opined that Britain should find out a reasonable method and a time-frame to leave the EU.

Jeremy Corbyn

The December 13 vote strengthened the stand of these moderate leaders. They argued that ‘soft Brexit’ would allow Britain to share a common market with Europe (even after Brexit) and to stay in the customs union. The MPs also rejected Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson’s “right for our situation” rule for Brexit. Earlier, Johnson told the House that he wanted a ‘liberal Brexit’ in which London could reject new EU rules after March 29, 2019. The foreign secretary warned that the UK could become a “vassal state”, if it accepted plans of the EU for Brexit.
So, Brexit is in a complex situation (both principally and methodically) now. Still, there is a huge gap between the PM or her foreign secretary’s attitude and the attitude of the common people. It’s time for the May Administration to go slow.
Nina Schick, an expert on European politics, rightly said: “The vote in Parliament doesn’t actually stop Brexit. This is a very symbolic protest by Conservative MPs who don’t believe in the government’s current course on Brexit. What they’re trying to do by defeating the government is…..to show that the power of Parliament is sovereign over the government.”

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das