May goes down to four-vote defeat over post-Brexit medicines regulation

It is rare for ministers to deliver such a speech in Parliament.

British Prime Minister Theresa May narrowly avoided a defeat in parliament at the hands of pro-EU lawmakers from her own party on Tuesday, fending off a rebellion that had threatened to deepen a crisis over her Brexit strategy.

“Nobody wants to be in the position of a rule taker”, Ms. Delfas said. ‘It is not too late to save Brexit, ‘ Mr Johnson said.

“Instead we dithered. We burned through negotiating capital”.

‘We have changed tack once and we can change tack again.

Johnson, a rival of May’s who quit as Foreign Secretary last week, urged the Prime Minister to push for a “strong, independent, self-governing Britain”.

So far it is unclear what sort of European Union market access financial firms in Britain will have after the transition period ends, prompting many banks and insurers to have new hubs up and running in the bloc by next March to avoid potential disruption.

He quit ten days ago, saying he could not support the PM’s European Union blueprint.

Boris Johnson is to make a personal statement to the House of Commons on his resignation as foreign secretary as Theresa May faces a grilling by senior MPs.

Johnson, the former mayor of London seen to have ambitions to be prime minister, is not alone in calling for May to ditch the Chequers plan.

Shouts rang out across the Commons.

“Brexit continues to mean Brexit”, May said to cheers from her Conservative supporters.

With the clock ticking, May gathered her warring ministers on July 6 and persuaded them to back a new free trade area on goods.

Mr. Davis’ former deputy, Steve Baker, asked about contingency plans for a no-deal departure.

Johnson went on to describe this potential future for the United Kingdom as one not of independence, but “economic vassalage” to the EU.

Meanwhile plans by the government to close parliament on Thursday for its summer recess rather than next week were abandoned.

Brexiteers believe that keeps Britain too close to the European Union, while pro-Europeans think it fails to protect the country s dominant services sector, among other gripes.

Johnson insisted there was still time to adjust and that the country must do so because much was at stake.

He said: “The margin is closing on these votes and we will keep at it”.

A total of 48 MPs – 15% of the parliamentary party – must write to the chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee to spark a leadership contest.

Highlighting the fine margins May is dealing with, Tuesday’s victory required the votes of four pro-Brexit Labour opposition lawmakers who backed the government in defiance of their party’s instructions.

But in an indication of the unease that remains within her party, Conservative Philip Davies has submitted a letter of no confidence in the PM’s leadership.

The EU aims to give Britain a transition period until the end of 2020 to give businesses and others time to adjust to a post-Brexit future.