U.K. Parliament Rejects Brexit Alternatives Including Soft Brexit, Second Referendum

Buckingham Palace Monday evening

British lawmakers voted down a series of proposals to move forward with Brexit late Monday.

None of the four options in the non-binding vote, including a second public referendum on Brexit, a soft Brexit, or remaining in the European Union, were passed.

The closest to passing was for a soft Brexit that would create a new customs union with the European Union, which failed by three votes. The proposal to require a public referendum on any Brexit deal failed to pass by 12. A proposal for a Norway-like relationship with the European Union lost by 21, and a proposal seeking to stay in the European Union lost by 101 votes.

The outcome leaves Britain in a lurch and no one seems to know what will happen next.

“I can’t say with any confidence what will happen, and, in that respect, I think I’m frankly not in a minority,” said House of Commons Speaker John Bercow.

Britain has nine days left before it has to tell European leaders how it wants to proceed. If it does not present a plan, it will leave the bloc in a so-called hard or no-deal Brexit that could mean crippling tariffs, border gridlock and shortages of goods including food and medicine.

Meanwhile, opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn called for a third round of indicative votes on Wednesday in an attempt to break the impasse.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)