LONDON: British MPs on Monday passed a new law aimed at preventing a no-deal Brexit this week by obliging the government to ask EU leaders for a delay.
The law has been rushed through both chambers of parliament over the past week and was opposed by the government, which has said it could limit its room for negotiation with the European Union.
“This is a huge dog’s dinner,” Andrea Leadsom, who represents the government in parliament, told MPs.
“I fundamentally object to it on the grounds that it is totally unconventional,” she said.
The law was passed on the initiative of MPs, subverting the normal order in which parliament debates and passes government-proposed legislation.
As a result of the law, the government now must put forward a motion in parliament on Tuesday setting out the delay that it will request at an EU summit on Wednesday.
MPs will be allowed to vote on this and make their own suggestions as to the length of the delay.
It allows the government to seek any extension from May 22 onwards. Prime Minister Theresa May has asked for a delay until June 30, but ultimately this is up to EU leaders and it could be longer.
The law does not actually prevent a no-deal Brexit when the deadline for Britain runs out on Friday, as that is the legal default if Britain and the EU cannot agree on an extension at the summit.
Britain could also choose to stop the entire Brexit process by revoking Article 50, the formal procedure for member states that want to leave.
British MPs pass law to block no-deal Brexit
British MPs pass law to block no-deal Brexit
- MPs will be allowed to vote on this and make their own suggestions as to the length of the delay
Austria snowstorm brings road and power chaos, four deaths
- One man, aged 53, was crushed to death when a snow plow fell down
- Vienna airport said it was forced to temporarily halt all flights in the morning
VIENNA: A major snowstorm hit Austria on Friday leaving four people dead and causing power outages and transport chaos, officials said.
One man, aged 53, was crushed to death when a snow plow fell down some steps in a “residential complex” in the northern city of Linz, police said.
Three skiers were killed in avalanches in the Tyrol region, including a German whose 16-year-old son was seriously injured in the landslide at Nauders. Two of the people died in an avalanche near the St. Anton ski resort, officials said.
Tyrol authorities appealed for skiers to stay away from off-piste activities. The latest deaths took to 18 the number of dead in avalanches in Austria this winter season.
Up to 40 centimeters (16 inches) of snow fell on the Alpine nation since Thursday, prompting alerts for southeast Austria, notably in the region around the city of Graz.
Vienna airport said it was forced to temporarily halt all flights in the morning, and afternoon services were “disrupted.”
One of the main orbital highways around Vienna was closed for several hours, and other sections of highway were blocked by snowdrifts, stranded lorries or poor visibility, said the national automobile association, OAMTC.
Electric companies reported power outages in several regions in the south and east, including Styria, where 30,000 homes lost electricity.
In neighboring Slovenia, 40,000 households were affected, according to local media, which reported major disruptions in the country’s northeast.
