Theresa May delays Brexit deal vote to avoid huge defeat in Parliament

Reuters / Dylan Martinez

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May attends a news conference after an extraordinary EU leaders summit to finalise and formalise the Brexit agreement in Brussels, Belgium November 25, 2018

• Theresa May has delayed the Brexit vote scheduled for Tuesday amid fears she would lose by a significant margin.
• Over 100 Conservative MPs have already voiced their opposition to the deal.
• The vote was scheduled for 1900 GMT on Tuesday.

LONDON - Theresa May will seek to delay the parliamentary vote on her Brexit deal amid fears that she could suffer a crushing defeat, according to multiple sources.

The Commons vote on whether to accept or reject May's proposed plan for exiting the EU was due to be held on Tuesday evening, but the prime minister has reportedly told Cabinet ministers that she will now seek to delay the vote.

The Prime Minister will make a statement to the House of Commons at 15.30 GMT on Monday afteroon, followed by an emergency statement on forthcoming parliamentary business by the Leader of the House.

May is expected to confirm that the vote will be delayed until after the EU summit in Brussels on Thusday.

The decision to pull the vote comes amid speculation that the government could have lost the vote by more than 100 votes, risking the biggest government defeat since the Second World War.

To date, 111 Tory MPs have pledged to vote against the government, along with the vast majority of MPs from opposition parties

The news led to the pound falling to its lowest level against the dollar in a year and a half.

However, there was widespread confusion on Monday morning as to whether the vote would go ahead on Tuesday as planned, with senior government figures rating the chances 50/50.

A spokesperson for the prime minister had insisted on Monday morning that the so-called "meaningful vote" would take place on Tuesday evening as planned and added that May was "confident" of winning it.

"The vote's going ahead as planned...What we have negotiated over the past months is the best deal and the only deal," May's spokesperson told journalists at a briefing attended by Business Insider.

This is a developing story.

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