LONDON — British lawmakers on Thursday voted to seek an extension to the country's Brexit deadline, throwing further doubt on the U.K.'s impending divorce from the European Union. In a series of votes in another dramatic yet inconclusive week, members of Parliament overwhelmingly voted 412-202 for the resolution. "After the last few days of government chaos and some defeats, all of us now have the opportunity and the responsibility to work together to find a solution to the crisis facing this country where the government has dramatically failed to do," opposition Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn told the House of Commons after the vote. The motion directs Prime Minister Theresa May to ask E.U. leaders for at least three months longer to work out what has become a protracted political mess. May will need all 27 other members of the bloc to agree to extend the March 29 deadline. It is far from certain that such unanimity exists. Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, said he had appealed to European nations to be open to a "long extension" if necessary. During my consultations ahead of #EUCO, I will appeal to the EU27 to be open to a long extension if the UK finds it necessary to rethink its #Brexit strategy and build consensus around it. — Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) March 14, 2019 Lawmakers also narrowly voted against an amendment that would have effectively allowed members of Parliament to take control of the Brexit process to try to find an alternative to May's deal. They also soundly rejected an amendment paving the way for second referendum — for now at least — by 334 votes to 85. However, many who support a second referendum abstained because they knew the vote would lose, and they believe they will get a better chance in the near future. Earlier in the day, President Donald Trump criticized the prime minister's handling of the Brexit crisis. "I'm surprised at how badly it's all gone from the standpoint of a negotiation," Trump said at a news conference with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. "I gave the prime minister my ideas on how to negotiate it, and I think you would have been successful. She didn't listen to that and that's fine, I mean she's got to do what she's got to do." He added that he doesn't "think another vote would be possible because it would be very unfair to the people who won" and said Brexit was "tearing a lot of countries apart." The United Kingdom voted in a June 2016 referendum to leave the E.U., but politicians haven't been able to agree on how the complex process should work. Unless there is some sort of intervention, the U.K. will exit the trading bloc March 29 with or without a deal. The latter scenario — dubbed a "no-deal Brexit" — would, according to most experts and critics, be an unprecedented act of economic self-harm. So at the eleventh hour, with only more than two weeks to go, lawmakers are scrambling to avert what many see as a looming disaster. May has made a deal with the E.U., but it has been overwhelmingly rejected twice in the House of Commons. The prime minister will most likely make a third attempt to push this through next week, ahead of what looks to be a crunch E.U. summit scheduled for Thursday and Friday. It will be the same proposal rejected twice before, but she will be hoping that the looming "no-deal Brexit" will spook enough lawmakers into supporting her. If May's deal were to finally pass next week, which would need a colossal overhaul of the parliamentary arithmetic, Thursday's motion says she should still ask for a brief extension until June 30, just to give her enough time to finalize her deal. If the deal fails for a third time, the motion says May will likely need to ask for a longer extension, which could have the U.K. taking part in the upcoming European elections.<doc-sep>• With just 15 days left until Britain is scheduled to leave the European Union, and no consensus on how to do it, Parliament voted on Thursday to postpone the fast-approaching departure date. • By the narrowest of margins, Prime Minister Theresa May beat back a power play by lawmakers who wanted to wrest control of the Brexit process from her. They also voted against holding a second referendum on the matter. • Parliament has twice rejected Mrs. May’s proposed withdrawal agreement by resounding margins. They hemmed her in further on Wednesday by passing a measure opposing any attempt to leave without an agreement. • Mrs. May remains in power but is seriously compromised. Many Conservatives backed the anti-no-deal motion, against her wishes, and several members of her cabinet declined to vote against it, leading to speculation she has lost control of her party and the process. She plans a third attempt at passing her preferred agreement next week.<doc-sep>Pay based on use Get Started Purchase a Team or Enterprise subscription for per week You will be billed per month after the trial ends<doc-sep>
U.K. lawmakers voted in favor of seeking a delayed departure from the EU for at least three months, marking another step in a political crisis that has ripped through the heart of Westminster. Members of Parliament (MPs) voted 412 to 202 for an extension of Article 50 — which sets out the EU departure process — beyond its current March 29 deadline. The vote Thursday evening was nonbinding, however, and the EU will have to agree to a delay. Brussels has already said Britain needs to justify requesting such an extension. The vote completes a dramatic trilogy of events this week which have added yet more confusion into the whole Brexit process. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal suffered a second humiliating defeat as it was voted down by a majority of 149 votes. Then on Wednesday, U.K. lawmakers rejected the idea of leaving the bloc without a withdrawal agreement in place. The main motion Thursday evening was tabled by May and her government and its passing was a rare piece of good news for the U.K. leader during a difficult week. The exact wording meant that lawmakers backed an extension until June 30 if Parliament approves the government's Brexit deal by March 20. The motion was in danger of being radically altered by a series of amendments, which would have frustrated May's government once again. U.K. politicians narrowly voted against a senior opposition MP's amendment which would have allowed lawmakers to take control of the parliamentary business and potentially hold votes that test out different Brexit options, undermining May's control of the situation. Sterling was unchanged after the result.