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ARTICLE · 18 DECEMBER 2018

Brexit - What Happens Now?

Gowling WLG
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The government has deferred the vote on the Brexit deal that it has negotiated and the Prime Minister has also survived a dramatic leadership challenge from within her own party.

European UnionGovernment, Public Sector
Kieran Laird
Kieran Laird
Ursula Johnston
Ursula Johnston
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The government has deferred the vote on the Brexit deal that it has negotiated and the Prime Minister has also survived a dramatic leadership challenge from within her own party. Theresa May has been fond of saying that Brexit means Brexit. But what does it mean now and what can businesses do about it?

Can Theresa May salvage the deal?

The Prime Minister has now successfully fended off a leadership challenge from within her own party, but there is no certainty as to whether she will be able to obtain any real concessions from her counterparts in Europe.

In deferring the vote, Mrs May has stated that she wishes to secure reassurances from the EU27 around how the backstop arrangement in respect of Northern Ireland can be brought to an end.  It remains to be seen whether the actual text of the deal will change - as does whether any tweaks to the backstop alone will be sufficient to secure the backing of MPs for the current deal.

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