After voting down eight proposals last week, British MPs rejected four alternative Brexit proposals late last night.
The results of the indicative votes resulted in Nick Boles - a former minister - resigning from the Conservative party.
I am resigning the Conservative whip with immediate effect. The Conservative Party has shown itself to be incapable of compromise so I will sit as an Independent Progressive Conservative.
— Nick Boles MP (@NickBoles) April 1, 2019
Speaking after the results of the votes were announced, Boles said:
"I accept I have failed. I have failed chiefly because my party refuses to compromise. I regret therefore to announce I can no longer sit for this party."
MPs rejected the following:
- negotiating "a permanent and comprehensive UK-wide customs union with the EU" as part of any Brexit deal
- joining the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and remaining in the European Economic Area (EEA)
- giving the public a vote to approve any Brexit deal passed by Parliament before it could be implemented
- a series of steps to prevent the UK leaving the EU without a deal, including a final vote on whether to scrap Brexit altogether
Leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn said:
"It is disappointing that no solution has won a majority this evening, but I remind the House the Prime Minister's unacceptable deal has been overwhelmingly rejected three times."
European Parliament Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt tweeted:
"The House of Commons again votes against all options. A hard Brexit becomes nearly inevitable. On Wednesday, the U.K. has a last chance to break the deadlock or face the abyss."
With all that unfolding in Westminster last night, a sub-story developed as 12 people were arrested for stripping off in protest in the House of Commons while MPs debated Brexit.
Police in London arrested them on suspicion of outraging public decency after the group of semi-naked Extinction Rebellion protesters stood up in the public gallery with messages painted on their bodies stood up in the public gallery overlooking the debate.
So some naked people are protesting above the chamber in the House of Commons. Glad to see things are finally calming down a bit in Westminster. Been a weird few months, good to see things getting back to normal. pic.twitter.com/BVB8HrRo5H
— Dr. Jennifer Cassidy (@OxfordDiplomat) April 1, 2019
