LONDON -- British Prime Minister Theresa May urged British lawmakers on Tuesday to back her "new" Brexit deal, which would include a binding vote by Parliament on whether to hold a second referendum.
In a speech in London, May said lawmakers will have "one last chance" to deliver the European Union exit in a vote early next month.
It likely will be May's last chance. She has signaled she will step down if her thrice-rejected divorce deal fails again in the House of Commons.
Many of the questions May fielded during Tuesday's news conference had to do with when she will resign and what might happen after that.
Parliament is scheduled to vote again on the deal she negotiated with the EU during the first week of June -- which is also when President Donald Trump will be making a state visit to Britain.
"What I'm doing today is setting out what I believe is a new Brexit deal that can command a majority in the House of Commons," May said.
Offering a binding vote on a second referendum, as well as on whether Britain should remain in a temporary customs union with the EU, represents a shift in strategy for May. She said she recognized "the genuine and sincere strength of feeling" on the referendum issue. But she also reiterated her long-held views that a second referendum was not her preferred way out of the current impasse. Extending the debate, she said, "risked opening the door to a nightmare future of permanently polarized politics."
May hopes that with those additional voting opportunities and some tweaks to her deal -- including pledges on environmental protections and workers' rights -- she can win over lawmakers. But early indicators were not looking good.
Some Conservative Party lawmakers who'd backed May said they would now oppose her. The Scottish National Party and ChangeUK said they would not back her. Nigel Dodds, the deputy leader of Northern Ireland Democratic Unionist Party, which props up May's Conservatives, said the proposal had "fundamental flaws."
The opposition Labor Party has been internally divided on whether to push for a second referendum, with leader Jeremy Corbyn reluctant to embrace the idea.
In her speech, May said she never thought delivering Brexit would be "simple or straightforward," but said it had "proved even harder than I anticipated." She said that she'd given it her all, even offering to "give up the job I love earlier than I would like."
A Section on 05/22/2019