UK parliament rejects EU withdrawal deal for 3rd time

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

LONDON (AA) – In a 286-344 vote, Britain’s parliament on Friday rejected the EU withdrawal agreement for a third time, in so doing setting the date for Brexit just two weeks from now, with no deal.

Government brought the motion to pass the withdrawal agreement without the political declaration – a visionary document for the future relationship between the U.K. and EU – in a last-ditch effort to end the Brexit stalemate.

However, the opposition parties, as well as the government’s de facto partner Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), voted against the agreement.

The U.K. is now set to leave the EU on April 12 without a deal.

The EU had previously moved the date of Brexit from March 29 (today) to April 12 (if agreement did not approve the deal) or to May 22 (if it approved the deal) after agreeing to an extension.

Donald Tusk, European Council president, said on Twitter shortly after the vote that he had called for a meeting of EU leaders on April 10, two days before the new exit date.