Eight weeks since the UK Parliament rejected the Government’s negotiated Brexit deal by a historic margin, they have once again voted down the agreement – although with a significantly reduced majority. The Prime Minister responded by declaring that the Government will agree time to debate and vote on motions relating to no deal and on extending Article 50. Despite the defeat, it remains entirely possible that the Government would seek to bring the vote on the deal for a third time in due course.
In the following briefing, FTI Consulting provides our assessment of the developments in recent days in the Brexit process and the outcome of the second ‘meaningful vote’ on the Brexit deal. We also briefly assess what the potential next steps might be following the defeat. Whilst the vote has highlighted the continuing lack of support for the existing deal, the size of the defeat was significantly reduced. The Prime Minister reiterated her commitment to hold a vote on Wednesday 13 March that would ask Parliament to give its view on a “no deal” Brexit and a vote the following day on whether to extend Article 50.