WORLD
May wins confidence vote and opens cross-party Brexit talks
Baku, January 17, AZERTAC
U.K. leader Theresa May survived an attempt to oust her government and immediately opened talks with rival political parties in an attempt to break the Brexit deadlock, as time runs out to reach a deal, according to Bloomberg.
The prime minister fought off the threat of a national election and won the right to continue running the country when the House of Commons voted 325 to 306 against a motion of “no confidence” in her administration.
May invited other party leaders, who back keeping much closer ties to the European Union, for talks tonight to discuss how to forge a compromise Brexit plan that Parliament can support.
“The government approaches these meetings in a constructive spirit, and I urge others to do the same,” May told lawmakers. “We must find solutions that are negotiable and command sufficient support in this House.”
But Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the main opposition Labour party, said May must rule out a no-deal Brexit as a precondition for those discussions. After a spokesman for the prime minister later told reporters she was not doing so, Corbyn’s camp said no deal was being used as “blackmail.” The Labour leader doesn’t plan to meet May on Wednesday night.