Brexit: What happens next may have to be put to MPs' vote - Fox

If Theresa May's Brexit deal isn't passed by MPs, then Parliament might have to decide what to do next, Trade Secretary Liam Fox has said.

The senior Brexiteer said the PM's deal was unlikely to pass through Parliament unless the backstop issue was resolved.

He said one option could be a "free vote" for MPs.

One option being widely suggested is another referendum - but Mr Fox told the Andrew Marr Show this was unlikely and would not "heal division".

Other options backed by different groups of MPs include leaving without a deal, another referendum, or Norway or Canada-style alternative deals.

The backstop is an "insurance policy" in the withdrawal deal to prevent the return of a hard border with Northern Ireland if no trade deal is reached - but many of Mrs May's MPs say they cannot support it, arguing it would keep the UK tied to EU rules indefinitely and curb its ability to strike trade deals.

EU leaders have said the deal is "not open for renegotiation" - but that there could be some further clarification.

Mr Fox said talks would continue over Christmas and the New Year about how the backstop could work "in a way that is acceptable to both sides".

On Saturday, former minister Jo Johnson accused Mrs May of delaying the vote by MPs as a way of "running down the clock", effectively forcing MPs to decide between backing her deal and exiting the EU with no deal since time would have run out.

Meanwhile, Labour frontbencher Andrew Gwynne told the BBC the party would be using "parliamentary tactics" to try to bring the MPs' "meaningful vote" on the deal forward to this week.

The Labour leadership is under pressure from other opposition parties to call for a vote of no confidence in the government.

But Mr Gwynne said: "We can't move to the next stage until Parliament has decided whether or not to back the prime minister's deal."

Asked whether his party would campaign for Brexit under a Labour deal if there were to be another referendum on the issue, he said: "Let's wait and see. These things are moving very quickly.

"We are a democratic party and we will put our decision to the party members in a democratic way before we decide what the next steps are."

On Thursday about 10 Labour MPs met David Lidington - who is Mrs May's de facto second-in-command - to argue for another public vote.

Sources close to Mr Lidington said it was "pretty standard stuff" and he was not "planning for or advocating a second referendum".

Labour's official position is to argue for a general election if Mrs May's deal cannot get through the Commons but to keep all options open if that doesn't happen - including another referendum.

Source: BBC

**UK24News**