LONDON (AP) British Prime Minister Theresa May looked set today to postpone Parliaments vote on her European Union divorce deal to avoid a shattering defeat, throwing Brexit plans into chaos just weeks after Britain and the bloc finally reached an agreement on the U.K.s departure.
The pound sank amid the political uncertainty, hitting an 18-month low against the U.S. dollar of $1.2660.
The House of Commons Speakers office said May would make a previously unscheduled statement to lawmakers about Brexit this morning.
All signs had pointed to a big defeat for the prime minister on Tuesday a result that could sink Mays deal, her leadership, or both.
Postponing the vote would be a new blow for May, who became prime minister after Britains 2016 decision to leave the EU. She has been battling ever since first to strike a divorce deal with the bloc, then to sell it to skeptical British lawmakers before the U.K. leaves the bloc on March 29.
Mays Conservative government does not have a majority in the House of Commons, and opposition parties as well as dozens of Conservative lawmakers said they would not back the divorce deal that May and EU leaders agreed on last month.
Pro-Brexit lawmakers say the deal keeps Britain bound too closely to the EU, while pro-EU politicians say it erects barriers between the U.K. and its biggest trading partner and leaves many details of the future relationship undecided.
The main sticking point is a backstop provision that aims to guarantee an open border between EU member Ireland and the U.K.s Northern Ireland after Brexit. The measure would keep Britain under EU customs rules, and is supposed to last until superseded by permanent new trade arrangements.
Critics say it could leave Britain tied to the EU indefinitely, unable to strike new trade deals around the world.
Pro-Brexit lawmakers said they wouldnt support Mays agreement unless she renegotiated it to remove the Irish backstop. Steve Baker, a leading Conservative Brexiteer, said Monday that May should go back to Brussels and demand a better deal.
EU leaders insist the Brexit withdrawal agreement cant be changed.
The deal is the deal, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said Monday. Its taken two years to put together. Its a fair deal for both sides.
However, while the 585-page withdrawal agreement is set, an accompanying declaration on future relations between the EU and Britain is shorter and vaguer and may be open to amendment.
Postponing the vote could give May more time to seek concessions from the EU, which is due to hold a summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday. She spoke over the weekend to European Council President Donald Tusk and to European leaders including Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, amid signs she was seeking to tweak the deal.
