British MPs pass law to block no-deal Brexit as Theresa May faces another bid to remove her

British MPs on Monday passed a new law aimed at preventing a no-deal Brexit this week by obliging the government to ask EU leaders for a delay. The law has been rushed through both chambers of parliament over the past week and was opposed by the government, which has said it could limit its room for negotiation with the European Union. Prime Minister Theresa May will head to Berlin and Paris on Tuesday as part of her efforts to win a short delay to Britain’s departure from the European Union, while at home talks continue to find a way through the parliamentary deadlock – and some in the prime minister’s party try to throw her overboard. The law was passed on the initiative of MPs, subverting the normal order in which parliament debates and passes government-proposed legislation. “This is a huge dog’s dinner,” Andrea Leadsom, who represents the government in parliament, told MPs. “I fundamentally object to it on the grounds that it is totally unconventional.” As a result of the law, the government now must put forward a motion in parliament on Tuesday setting out the delay that it will request at an EU summit on Wednesday. MPs will be allowed to vote on this and make their own suggestions as to the length of the delay. The government is allowed to seek any extension from May 22 onwards. May has asked for a delay until June 30, but ultimately this is up to EU leaders and it could be longer. The law does not actually prevent a no-deal Brexit when the deadline for Britain runs out on Friday, as that is the legal default if Britain and the EU cannot agree on an extension at the summit. Britain could also choose to stop the entire Brexit process by revoking Article 50, the formal procedure for member states that want to leave. EU diplomats are said to be settling on the idea of offering an extension to Britain despite the lack of progress at home. It will also be tied to commitments from May that she – and any successor – would not try to disrupt EU business. May will continue to press her case when she meets German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron. Meanwhile, in London, face-to-face talks will resume between the government and the main opposition Labour Party, after four days in which the two sides have exchanged messages without reaching an agreement. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Monday evening that while the talks have been “serious”, May has “not yet moved off her red lines”. May wants Labour to vote for her deal, which has now been rejected by parliament three times. Labour wants a commitment that the government will seek a customs union with the EU. And like European leaders, it wants that commitment to be binding on whoever succeeds May as prime minister. The problem is that May has no political room left to compromise. Even her decision to sit down with Corbyn is too much for many Tories. Because they failed to oust her in December, their constitution forbids them from trying again for a year, but some Conservative members of Parliament want to try anyway. Graham Brady, the chair of the 1922 Committee, through which Conservative Party backbenchers coordinate their views, has rebuffed calls for an indicative vote on May’s future. However, backbench MPs are submitting a fresh batch of no-confidence letters to him in the hope the number will become so great that he has to act. After meeting the prime minister on Monday, Brady said there was “no intention of proceeding” with any informal vote of confidence. It is understood the 1922 Committee debated the issue for almost an hour last week and was split over whether it should go ahead. Some Conservative MPs were under the impression Brady had ruled it out only “for now” and would be forced to give in to pressure to hold a vote if he received a deluge of letters. “I believe May has been a failure as leader of our party, which she now threatens to destroy Mark Francois, European Research Group vice-chair One MP said Brady had told them he would pass on the concerns of colleagues to May herself and, of the letters, “she won’t know the names but she will know the number” who were unhappy with her. Another Conservative MP said that if Brady would not allow an indicative vote then “we will find a way around him”. Mark Francois, the vice-chairman of the hardline European Research Group, called for an indicative ballot to take place this week as he said May had lost the confidence of her MPs. In a letter to Brady, Francois said: “I believe May has been a failure as leader of our party, which she now threatens to destroy. Hers is a classic example of hubris – and after hubris, comes nemesis.” Additional reporting by AP