Theresa May saw the writing on the wall. Her Brexit deal was not going to survive a Parliament vote in any way, shape, or form. So she did what any conscious politician would do: she reversed course. After three days of insisting that the vote would move forward as scheduled on 11 December, May postponed the vote today. She will hold talks with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, followed by discussions with EU officials about the future of the deal. EU leadership has staunchly insisted that there will be no alterations to the EU deal. If this remains the case, May might be forced to allow a vote. If the deal is not approved, Britain’s final break from the EU in March, 2019 will be a hard one. The United Kingdom will lose virtually all of its political and economic connections with the EU. The relationship between the two will change irrevocably, and it will happen virtually overnight.
Both sides have stated repeatedly that they do not want that scenario to become the reality. Yet actions speak louder than words, and neither side has backed up their statements with actions that will head off a hard break come March. The coming days should give us a glimpse into the future, and leave the world with a good idea about what direction Brexit is headed in.
Authors Note: Short update tonight, I apologize. I’ll back it up with more on Brexit tomorrow, and later on this week as things unfold in London and Brussels.
