British lawmakers are expected to vote Tuesday on a number of amendments to the government’s agreement detailing how it will exit the European Union.
The agreement took negotiators from the two sides 18 months to reach, but it requires parliamentary approval, and a mid-January vote resulted in an overwhelming defeat for British Prime Minister Theresa May’s plan.
Since then, she has pledged to go forward with the agreement and seek some changes to earn the necessary support.
One proposal would address one of the biggest concerns among those who oppose the agreement. They do not want a so-called backstop provision that would keep Britain in a customs union with the EU in order to keep open the border between Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland.
A pro-Brexit protester argues wth anti-Brexit campaigner Steve Bray outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Jan. 28, 2019.
May’s Conservative Party is now supporting what it calls “alternative arrangements” to overcome the concerns about tying Britain’s policies to EU rules.
What is not certain is whether those changes would be enough to win over a majority of parliament. There is also the question of whether the European Union would agree to alter the agreement, something its leaders have repeatedly said throughout the debate in Britain they have no intention of doing.
Britain is due to leave the bloc on March 29./voa
