British parliament to vote on no-deal Brexit

LONDON, march 13 (Xinhua) -- The British parliament will vote on Wednesday afternoon on whether the country should leave the European Union (EU) without an agreement on march 29 in the wake of Tuesday night's shattering defeat of Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal.

If MPs block the no-deal Brexit, they will vote on Thursday on whether Britain should seek an Article 50 extension from the EU, for how long and for what purpose.

The prime minister, still speaking in the House of Commons with a croaky voice on Wednesday afternoon, joined the parliamentary debate in order to fight for pushing her government's Brexit position through the parliament.

The British cabinet met on Wednesday morning amid speculation that a delegation of senior Tories may ask the prime minister to step down this week.

The chaos in May's cabinet erupted after she told the House of Commons she would allow a free vote on Wednesday afternoon for Tory MPs on a motion to rule out a no-deal Brexit on march 29, when Brexit is due.

The government's motion to be debated in the parliament on Wednesday opposes leaving the without a deal.

On Tuesday night, MPs voted by 391 to 242 to reject a revised version of the withdrawal agreement.

Following the vote, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told the parliament that May's Brexit deal is "clearly dead." He even went a step further to call for a general election.

In Brussels, EU leaders demanded a "clear answer" about what Britain wants and were preparing to take a hard line if, as widely expected, the prime minister asks for a postponement of Brexit.

The EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier insisted there will be no further offer from Brussels apart from the deal already on the table.