Brexit on the brink of failure

Britain’s opposition Labour Party on Tuesday said it would reject Prime Minister Theresa May’s separation deal with the European Union and might support a second referendum instead. Keir Starmer, the Labour Party’s Brexit spokesman, told a party conference to vote against May’s deal in Parliament because it is on track to fail the six tests applied to any proposed Brexit plan, including keeping access to European markets and protecting workers’ rights. He said his party would push for a general election if Parliament, where May’s Conservative Party has a tenuous majority, rejected the deal. “If we need to break the impasse, our options must include campaigning for a public vote, and nobody is ruling out ‘remain’ as an option,” Starmer said.

The two major concerns over May’s deal are her plan to retain free trade with the EU for goods but not services and questions about how to control the border between Ireland, an EU member country, and Northern Ireland. Withdrawal from the EU is slated for March 29. On Tuesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned the transition period will be limited if the politicians don’t hash out the details in the coming weeks.