British Parliament Rejects Theresa May's Brexit Deal for the Third Time

On Friday, British Parliament members rejected Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal for the third time. According to Reuters, the parliament voted 344 against and 286 in favor of May's Brexit proposal. The Prime Minister stated that they believe they have reached the end of this process in Parliament and that the consequences of the Parliament's decision will be severe. Theresa May clarified that the legal forecast is that Britain will exit the EU without a deal by April 12. Following the rejection of May's deal in Parliament, Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, called for an emergency summit of EU member states regarding Brexit on April 10. Given the current deadlock in British politics, last week the EU agreed to delay Britain's exit date to May 22 if Parliament approves a deal acceptable to both the Prime Minister and the EU. However, British Parliament members have so far rejected this proposal by a significant majority. EU officials and diplomats stated that due to the lack of agreement in the British Parliament on a single option and the Prime Minister's inability to get the Brexit deal approved, the likelihood of a no-deal exit is greater than ever. Reuters notes that even if Britain does not announce a definitive decision by April 12, it is unlikely to exit the EU abruptly, as the EU is likely to grant more time for the preparations for Britain's exit. However, the French government emphasizes the need to resolve the Brexit situation as quickly as possible. The EU has announced a series of measures to mitigate the chaotic consequences of Brexit, but two important issues remain unresolved: the visa situation for British citizens traveling to EU member states and Britain's financial contribution to the EU budget for 2019.