The Scale of May’s Brexit Defeat Matters to the EU Now
- EU diplomats see a defeat of less than 60 as grounds for hope
- Bloc isn’t making plans for any significant concessions
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The European Union is waiting to see the scale of U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May’s expected parliamentary defeat on her Brexit deal before considering its response, officials said, with some predicting that she will have to delay Britain’s departure from the bloc.
Anything larger than a defeat of about 60 lawmakers when they vote next Tuesday would probably mean the agreement is close to death and the negotiations are in uncharted waters, several EU officials said. Less than that and the bloc may look at fresh ways of making the agreement more palatable to get it across the line.