Britain’s Parliament has voted against holding a new Brexit referendum, at least for now.
Lawmakers defeated by a decisive 334-85 vote a motion that called for another public vote on whether to stay in the European Union or leave.
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Campaigners for a new referendum are divided over whether the time is right to push for a second Brexit vote. This vote on Thursday doesn’t prevent lawmakers from trying again later to win Parliament’s support for a second Brexit referendum.
The House of Commons also voted 412-202 in favour of seeking to postpone the U.K.’s departure for at least three months – just 15 days before the country is scheduled to leave the EU.
The motion commits Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative government to seek an extension until June 30 if Parliament approves a U.K.-EU withdrawal deal next week.
British lawmakers have already rejected May’s EU divorce deal twice and if it fails a third time, the government says the U.K. is looking at a much longer delay to Brexit.
Any extension to Brexit has to be approved by all 27 remaining EU countries.
Britain voted by 52 to 48 per cent in 2016 to leave the EU.
The Associated Press
