Theresa May’s govt wins no-confidence vote but faces battle to keep control of Brexit

Had the government lost, Britain would have faced an election within weeks while preparing to leave the European Union on March 29.

British Prime Minister Theresa May wins confidence vote — Prime Minister Theresa May addresses Parliament after the vote on May’s Brexit deal, in London, Britain, January 15, 2019 in this screengrab taken from video. (Reuters TV via REUTERS)

British Prime Minister Theresa May survived a no-confidence vote in Parliament on Wednesday to remain in office _ but saw more of her power ebb away as she battled to keep Brexit on track after lawmakers demolished her European Union divorce deal.

May won a narrow victory, 325 votes to 306 votes, on an opposition motion seeking to topple her government and trigger a general election.

Now it’s back to Brexit, where May is caught between the rock of her own red lines and the hard place of a Parliament that wants to force a radical change of course.

After winning the vote, May promised to hold talks with leaders of opposition parties and other lawmakers, starting immediately, in a bid to find a way forward for Britain’s EU exit.

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SGX Nifty points a positive start

Lawmakers vote on U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal to leave the European Union.

Legislators ripped up May’s Brexit blueprint Tuesday by rejecting the divorce agreement she has negotiated with the EU over the last two years. That it would lose was widely expected, but the scale of the rout _ 432 votes to 202, the biggest defeat for a government in British parliamentary history _ was devastating for May’s leadership and her Brexit deal.

Opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn responded with the no-confidence motion, and urged the government to “do the right thing and resign.”