Brexit: PM Theresa May 'very unlikely' to win vote

BBC Glyn DaviesBBC
Glyn Davies praised Theresa May for her "hard work" but doubts she will succeed in getting her deal over the line

The prime minister is likely to lose the vote on her Brexit deal, according to a Conservative Welsh MP.

Glyn Davies, MP for Montgomeryshire, does not believe Theresa May will be able to persuade MPs to back the plan in the House of Commons.

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Theresa May said her critics - both Remainers and Brexiteers - risk damaging democracy if they oppose her plan.

MPs are due to vote on whether to back Mrs May's Brexit plan next week.

The UK is due to leave the EU on 29 March.

A deal on the terms of the UK's divorce and the framework of future relations has been agreed between the prime minister and the EU - but it needs to pass a vote by MPs in Parliament before it is accepted.

The House of Commons vote had been scheduled to take place in December, but Mrs May called it off after it became clear that not enough MPs would vote for her deal.

The debate on the deal will restart on Wednesday, with the crucial vote now expected to take place on 15 January.

Mr Davies told BBC Radio Wales' Sunday Supplement programme that it is "very unlikely" Mrs May will win the vote.

"She's been working very hard trying to change minds," he said.

"My own assessment is that she is likely to lose that vote, and she may well then do as Jeremy Corbyn has suggested and go back to the EU to seek changes to that."

He said he hopes Mrs May would be able to go back to the EU at that point to "secure changes to the political declarations".

Tonia Antoniazzi
Tonia Antoniazzi has called for a further referendum to avoid a no-deal Brexit

In his new year message, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said if his party was in power, he would seek to reopen negotiations with Brussels to pursue a better outcome.

Tonia Antoniazzi, Labour MP for Gower, said: "I feel particularly strongly that this stasis, this logjam that we are in is making the public extremely frustrated."

Calling for a "people's vote" - a further referendum - Ms Antoniazzi urged an application of what she called "sensible logic" to avoid a no-deal Brexit.