UK parliament votes down May's Brexit deal by crushing margin

British lawmakers have rejected Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal with the European Union by a wide margin.

According to Press TV, British parliament members on Tuesday evening voted against the deal by 432 to 202 in the House of Commons, dealing a severe blow to May and her cabinet after months of negotiation over the UK’s divorce deal from the bloc.

During the final session of debate over the issue, May argued that the deal was “crucial for generations to come,” and that other options would only cause a further division among the British public.

"It is clear that the house does not support this deal, but tonight's vote tells us nothing about what it does support," May said in the House immediately after the vote, adding that a confidence motion would be voted on the following day.

Responding to the resounding defeat, the British premier promised that her government "respects the will of the House" but said it was her "duty to deliver" Brexit for British citizens who voted to leave the EU in 2016.

May's crushing loss marked the collapse of her two-year plan of forging an orderly divorce with close ties to the EU after the March 29 exit. The defeat of the departure agreement can lead to a disorderly exit from the EU or even to a reversal of the 2016 referendum.

Britain's opposition Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn denounced May's cabinet as "incompetent" after the vote and called for a vote of no confidence in her government.

“This is a catastrophic defeat. The house has delivered its verdict on her deal. Delay and denial has reached the end of the line,” Corbyn said.

"No deal must be taken off the table, a permanent customs union must be secured, and people's rights and protections must be guaranteed … She cannot seriously believe that after two years of failure, she is capable of negotiating a good deal for this country," he added.

May had earlier criticized Corbyn, accusing him of being "long on criticism and short on coherence."

The Tuesday vote was originally scheduled to be held in mid-December but was postponed by May amid fears that MPs would reject the deal with Brussels.

The deal's opponents have for long argued that the so-called “backstop” clause undermines the UK’s sovereignty, saying it effectively separates Northern Ireland from the mainland Britain.

The EU insists it should be able to include Northern Ireland in its customs union and move the border to the Irish Sea until a mechanism is found for bilateral trade.

A spokesperson for the Irish government, which has been at the forefront of talks due to the Irish border issue, said Dublin “regrets the outcome of the vote in Westminster,” and that the vote would “add to uncertainty about the nature of the UK withdrawal from the EU.”

The spokesperson recalled the EU position that the “withdrawal agreement is not open for renegotiation,” and said the Irish government would “intensify preparations for such an outcome.”

ME