British Prime Minister Theresa May’s government remained defiant after parliament took partial control of the stalled process of leaving the European Union, arguing on Tuesday that the manoeuvring simply underscores the need for lawmakers to approve her twice-defeated deal. The House of Commons voted late on Monday to wrest the parliamentary timetable away from the government temporarily so lawmakers can vote on alternatives to the withdrawal agreement May negotiated with the EU. The government, which usually controls the scheduling of votes, said the lawmakers’ move “upends the balance between our democratic institutions and sets a dangerous, unpredictable precedent”. But Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the BBC the government will not “pre-commit” to accepting the option backed by lawmakers because they may come up with a plan that is impractical. “If the Commons voted for the sun to rise in the west, the government would not be able to implement that,” he said. “The best way through this impasse is the one deal that has been negotiated with the EU that can be delivered quickly now,” Hancock said, referring to the prime minister’s agreement. May’s authority is hanging by a thread after 30 members of her Conservative Party defied her instructions and voted for parliament to take control of the process. Three government ministers resigned rather than vote with the government. Almost three years after Britons voted to leave the EU, the date and terms of its departure are up in the air. Last week the EU granted Britain a delay to the scheduled March 29 exit date, saying if parliament approved the proposed divorce deal, the UK would leave the EU on May 22. If not, the government has until April 12 to tell the 27 remaining EU countries what it plans to do – leave without a deal, cancel Brexit or chart a path to a new option. Comedy of errors: meet the cast of Britain’s Brexit tragedy May is still pushing for approval of her deal with the EU even though the House of Commons overwhelmingly rejected it in votes in January and March. She has warned pro-Brexit legislators that continuing to reject the deal could lead to a “slow Brexit” that postpones the country’s departure indefinitely. Richard Harrington, who resigned as a business minister to vote in favour of Monday’s motion, accused the government of “playing roulette” with people and businesses lives by failing to resolve the Brexit impasse. Lawmakers who backed Monday’s motion, which passed 329-302, hope to find an alternative that can command a majority in parliament by holding a series of “indicative votes” on other options. Those alternatives could include a “soft Brexit” that maintains close economic ties with the EU or scrapping Brexit entirely. Jacob Rees-Mogg, a leading pro-Brexit Conservative, acknowledged that “the choice seems to be Mrs May’s deal or no Brexit”. Meet John Bercow, UK Commons Speaker who wrecked Theresa May’s Brexit plans “I have always thought that ‘no deal’ is better than Mrs May’s deal, but Mrs May’s deal is better than not leaving at all,” he said on the Conservative Home podcast. Cabinet ministers gathering on Tuesday for their regular meeting were expected to demand that Conservative Party lawmakers be allowed to follow their consciences, rather than vote the party line, during the debate on Wednesday on alternatives to the prime minister’s deal. “Parliament should seek urgently to resolve the situation by considering alternatives freely, without the instruction of party whips, and government should adopt any feasible outcome as its own in order to progress matters,” said Alistair Burt, who quit his role in the Foreign Office after defying May on Monday. “I did not believe the government was prepared to do that, so had to vote to ensure this happens.” Brexit votes: the options Norway Energy-rich Norway is in the European Economic Area (EEA), meaning it benefits from membership of EU’s single market but does not have a say in the making of its rules. It must also allow the free movement of goods, capital, services and persons – the EU’s four freedoms – with EU member states. The big advantage for Britain in such a scenario would be that its financial hub in London remains undisturbed and trade with the EU continues unimpeded. But critics say it would leave Britain a hostage to EU rules, and also fall foul of the promise of the Brexit campaign to limit immigration. Canada ‘plus plus plus’ The EU’s recent accord with Canada, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), is considered the blueprint for the EU’s trade deals going forward. The deal touches on all aspects of the economy, including health and safety norms, and not just the usual cuts to tariffs and import quotas. The plus elements refer to this option going much deeper than the EU-Canada deal. Both parties would negotiate an agreed level of regulatory cooperation in sectors such as finance, aviation and autos. No-deal If no alternative course can be agreed, Britain will default to “third country” status with the EU, with trade relations run on World Trade Organisation rules. This involves tariffs and increased barriers that could disrupt the seamless supply chains that connect Britain and the EU. While the EU’s average tariff rate for third countries is low – around 1.5 per cent – they are bigger in certain strategic sectors: for cars, the rate is 10 per cent. It is unlikely that British products could enter the EU without further border checks. Second Brexit referendum Many Remain-backing MPs see a second referendum as the most viable path towards preventing Brexit. However, there has never been clarity over what the referendum would ask, other than the cross-party People’s Vote campaign insisting that staying in the EU must be one of the choices. A backbench Labour compromise proposal would see the main opposition party vote through any government deal, on the condition that it was put to a referendum. However, a majority of MPs earlier this month voted against postponing the Brexit date to hold another referendum. The deal, with a customs union The existing divorce deal but keeping Britain in the EU customs union. Committing fully to the customs union would end the dispute over the deal’s provisions for the Irish border, ensuring it remains open after Brexit. This option is favoured by the main opposition Labour Party but the Conservative Party manifesto pledged to take Britain out of the customs union and the single market. Cancel Brexit The most dramatic option would be to cancel Brexit altogether by revoking Article 50, the departure mechanism that set a two-year clock ticking down to March 29, Britain’s supposed exit day. Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse