With 412 votes in favour and 202 votes against, the postponement of Brexit was approved, including the extension of Article 50 of the Treaty of the European Union for three more months, from March 29 to June 30. This approval by Parliament is subject to the ratification of Prime Minister Theresa May's agreement, which will take place next week.
The vote to approve the postponement revealed the great divisions within the cabinet and the Conservative Party. The tense situation and the isolation of Theresa May are becoming more and more evident as the Brexit negotiations have dragged on.
Parliament rejected with another vote the same day 334 votes against the amendment to hold a second referendum. The result was expected because the supporters of the popular vote asked for abstention. What has happened is a setback for those who were in favour of staying in the European Union.
What if they reject the agreement?
Rejection of the agreement would cause Brussels to request a further extension. An extension beyond June 30 would force the United Kingdom to hold parliamentary elections in May 2019 to elect members of the legislature.
Theresa May has acknowledged that even though the agreement is approved, a new extension of Article 50 would be needed to cover all the legal aspects of areas such as immigration, health, commerce, finance, fisheries and agriculture.
How was the vote in Parliament?
Once the vote has taken place, it is up to the British Government formally to request the extension of Article 50. It will then have to be approved by all Member States. Theresa May hopes to obtain the support of her party and the deputies of the Democratic Unionist Party.
A conservative deputy, George Freeman, even raised the possibility of requesting the resignation of Theresa May in exchange for ratifying the agreement.
Faced with the impact on business and the UK worker, the Deputy Director General of the large employers CBI, Josh Hardie, asked to present a new approach, calling the deputies to use any additional time to finally develop a solution to protect jobs throughout the United Kingdom.
Mrs May will continue to try to give the Agreement a third "significant vote" on March 20 and seek the support of those who rejected it in January and earlier this week.
If Theresa May succeeds, she will go to Brussels to ask for a postponement and thus try to achieve her objectives through the UK Parliament.
