British PM's five-hour Brexit showdown
May still opposes a second EU referendum 'in all circumstances'
British Prime Minister Theresa May gathered her bitterly divided Cabinet for a five-hour showdown at Downing Street on Tuesday after Parliament once again failed to unite behind any alternative to her rejected Brexit deal.
In a news conference with reporters at Westminster, the prime minister's spokesman said May is still opposed to a second European Union referendum "in all circumstances", that a no-deal Brexit remains the "default" position, and that she is "not prepared to revoke Article 50", which would mean canceling the planned EU exit entirely.
Reports suggested that a snap general election fronted by May was being "tested" in the meeting, and that it was viewed by some in the Downing Street meeting as "the least worst option" remaining.
If an election is called, the opposition Labour Party is well placed to win. A poll published on Sunday by research group Delta found 41 percent of decided voters planned to support Labour and 36 percent May's Conservative Party.
On Monday night, MPs voted on four alternative options to her deal, but none gained a majority, and so, in a desperate attempt to salvage her EU withdrawal agreement, the leader called ministers in for the "political cabinet" meeting.
Members of Parliament rejected a customs union with the EU by three votes. A motion for another referendum got the most votes in favor, but still lost.
The so-called indicative votes were not legally binding, but they had been billed as the moment when Parliament might finally compromise.
Tory MP Nick Boles, who put forward one of the proposals - Common Market 2.0 - resigned from the Conservative Party in frustration, and will now sit on the other side of the chamber as an independent.
Following the failure of his own motion to stay in the single market, Boles said he tried to find a "compromise" for Brexit but had "failed".
He said: "I have failed, chiefly, because my party refuses to compromise. I regret, therefore, to announce that I can no longer sit for this party."
Supporters of a second referendum from across Parliament were also accused of increasing the risk of a no-deal by refusing to back soft Brexit options.
Britain was originally slated to leave the EU on March 29 but, with Parliament unwilling to support May's deal and with MPs unable to find an alternative, the process stalled. The EU has pushed back Britain's exit date, now saying it must choose to either leave without a deal or remain an EU member by April 12. May can also negotiate a longer extension.
The Brexit secretary, Steve Barclay, told reporters the Cabinet would have to decide the way forward.
"This house has continuously rejected leaving without a deal, just as it has rejected not leaving at all. Therefore the only option is to find a way through which allows the UK to leave with a deal," he said.
The EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier said a long extension to the United Kingdom's current April 12 exit date carried "significant risks for the EU" and that a "strong justification would be needed" before the EU would agree.
Meanwhile, UK factories stockpiled goods for Brexit at an unexpectedly high rate last month, boosting manufacturing growth to a 13-month high, according to a closely watched survey.
The research, by IHS Markit/CIPS, found that the rate of increase in stocks hit a survey record high for the third month in a row.
Rob Dobson, director at IHS Markit, warned that the boost to the UK economy could prove short-lived.
He said: "Manufacturers are already reporting concerns that future trends could be constrained as inventory positions across the economy are unwound.
"The survey is also picking up signs that EU companies are switching away from sourcing inputs from UK firms as Brexit approaches.
"It looks as if the impact of Brexit preparations, and any missed opportunities and investments during this sustained period of uncertainty, will reverberate through the manufacturing sector for some time to come."
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(China Daily 04/03/2019 page12)