, Columnist
British Politics Enters the Meltdown Phase
Theresa May's Brexit deal is dead. Now what?
A murky outlook for British politics.
Photographer: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images EuropeThis article is for subscribers only.
Theresa May promised lawmakers as many as three votes on Brexit this week, but it was the first that counted most. On Tuesday, MPs used it to deliver a second defeat to her Brexit agreement.
The margin was narrower this time: The government lost by 230 votes in January and by 149 the second time. But no still means no. The result makes an extension of the negotiations almost inevitable, puts into question May’s future as prime minister, and makes it more likely that the course of Brexit will need to be decided, one way or another, by the public.