What an unholy mess.
Theresa May has announced that the House of Commons vote on her Brexit withdrawal agreement has been postponed.
The vote had originally been scheduled to be held tomorrow, but the overwhelming evidence suggests that May does not have enough votes from her own party and its allies to pass the deal.
Speaking over jeers from those opposed to her deal, May once again restated her belief that her deal is the only one that will work — repeating that there is no deal available to the United Kingdom that will not involve a backstop to accommodate the avoidance of a hard border in Ireland.
At one point, May began speaking to the floor by saying: "We are facing one fundamental question: Do we want to deliver Brexit?" It was supposed to be a rhetorical question, but shouts of "No" rang out around the House of Commons.
"If you want a second referendum to override the verdict of the first, be honest that this risks dividing the country again when as a house we should be striving to bring it back together."
May called on those who wanted to remain in the single market and customs union, or those that wanted to leave without a deal, to be open and honest.
"I am determined to do all I can to get this deal over the line, and deliver for the British people," May finished.
The EU has consistently said that it will not renegotiate the deal, a position restated by
Guy Verhofstadt on Monday.
