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| Theresa May, who is fighting to save her agreement negotiated with the EU, told lawmakers they must not let down Brexit-backers in a crunch parliamentary vote Tuesday (AFP Photo/Ben STANSALL) |
London (AFP) - British Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday warned MPs ready to reject her EU divorce deal next week that failing to deliver Brexit would be a "catastrophic and unforgivable breach of trust in our democracy".
May is
fighting doggedly to save her withdrawal agreement -- forged during 18 months
of gruelling negotiations with European leaders -- from a crushing defeat in
parliament on Tuesday.
The
embattled leader said some voters in Britain's 2016 referendum on EU membership
had trusted politicians "for the first time in decades" and lawmakers
must not let them down by now scuppering Brexit.
"Doing
so would be a catastrophic and unforgivable breach of trust in our
democracy," May wrote in the Sunday Express newspaper.
"So my
message to parliament this weekend is simple: it is time to forget the games
and do what is right for our country."
Britain is
set to leave the European Union on March 29 but, with less than 11 weeks left,
has yet to finalise the terms of its departure.
May's deal
agrees a 21-month transition period under current terms while the future
relationship with the bloc is negotiated, but it has drawn steadfast opposition
from both Brexiteers and Remainers.
The prime
minister has said rejecting it will throw Britain into "uncharted
territory" and put the country at risk of crashing out without an
agreement, or even no Brexit at all.
'No
confidence in the government'
The
opposition Labour Party, which favours remaining in a permanent customs union
with the EU, has suggested it will seek a no-confidence vote in the government
if MPs throw out the plan.
The
Observer newspaper reported Sunday that its lawmakers have been told it could
be tabled "within hours" of that on Tuesday, with the confidence vote
to be held the following day.
If the
government lose a no-confidence motion, there will be a period of 14 days in
which parties can seek to find an alternative working majority in parliament.
If they
fail to do so, a general election would be called.
"We
will table a motion of no confidence in the government at a time of our
choosing, but it's going to be soon, don't worry about it," Labour leader
Jeremy Corbyn told the BBC on Sunday.
Corbyn
conceded if the party won power, parliament would likely need to delay Brexit
beyond March 29 so it could renegotiate the withdrawal agreement.
'A very
British coup'
The prime
minister already postponed a House of Commons vote on her plan in December to
avoid defeat -- and MPs look set to reject it again on Tuesday.
Lawmakers
who believe it either leaves Britain too close or too distant from the bloc,
fired ominous warning shots this week, voting to force the prime minister to
quickly set out an alternative plan for Brexit if she loses the vote.
It was her
second setback in 24 hours after MPs also voted to deny the government certain
taxation powers in a no-deal scenario -- in a bid to avoid such an outcome.
The Sunday
Times said a group of senior cross-party backbench rebels are now plotting to
change House of Commons rules to enable them to override government business if
the deal falls.
Described
as "a very British coup", the plan would see May lose control of
parliamentary business to MPs, threatening her ability to govern, the newspaper
said.
It said
Downing Street was "extremely concerned" about the possibility, which
could see lawmakers then delay Brexit through new legislation.
Conservative
MP Nick Boles, who favours a Norway-style relationship which would keep Britain
in the EU's single market, told the paper he was exploring tactics in the
Commons to rule out a no-deal scenario.
"We
have a mechanism which will give parliament control of the Brexit negotiations
and ensure we do not leave the EU without a deal on March 29," he said.
"I am
working on ways to achieve that outcome," Boles said, indicating he would
publish the plan on Tuesday.
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