Photo ReutersPrime Minister Theresa May's government was defeated on Wednesday, when lawmakers forced through changes to its Brexit blueprint that ministers said could endanger Britain's departure from the European Union. Since then she has struggled to assert her authority over a Conservative Party which is deeply divided over the best route out of the EU. Earlier, May had tried to persuade lawmakers to vote with the government for her Brexit blueprint, saying Grieve's amendment would put added time pressure on a government which wants to make Britain ready to leave the EU in March 2019. Raab said that could convince the EU that Britain would not walk away from a bad deal. "Actually if that looked likely we'd end up with worse terms, and we'd be positively incentivising the EU to give us worse terms," he told parliament.

Source: Otago Daily Times December 13, 2017 19:52 UTC