EU-Britain: Brexit Deal in Brussels, but British Parliament has the last say, and that is not sure at all

Britain and the European Union on Thursday agreed on the draft text of a Brexit deal, setting up a fateful showdown in the British Parliament on Saturday, where it was not clear that Prime Minister Boris Johnson could marshal the votes to nail down his plan after three anguished and politically damaging years of debate.

But Mr. Johnson may already be thinking beyond whether Parliament approves his plan. Even if he loses, analysts say, he may call for a general election, hoping voters will rally behind him and deliver him a strong majority.

EU-Digest

EU: Britain and EU hail breakthrough in Strasbourg talks

Brexit: UK and EU hail breakthrough in talks. It does however still need to pass through the British Parliament, which still seems difficult

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Britain - Brexit: Theresa May suffers three Brexit defeats in Commons -

Ministers have agreed to publish the government's full legal advice on the deal after MPs found them in contempt of Parliament for issuing a summary.

And MPs backed calls for the Commons to have a direct say in what happens if her deal is rejected next Tuesday.

Mrs May said MPs had a duty to deliver on the 2016 Brexit vote and the deal on offer was an "honourable compromise".

Mrs May was addressing the Commons at the start of a five-day debate on her proposed agreement on the terms of the UK's withdrawal and future relations with the EU.

The agreement has been endorsed by EU leaders but must also be backed by the UK Parliament if it is to come into force. MPs will decide whether to reject or accept it on Tuesday 11 December.

 Read more: Theresa May suffers three Brexit defeats in Commons - BBC News

Britain and E.U. Agree on a Plan for Brexit - by Stephen Castle

British and European Union officials reached a long-awaited draft agreement on Tuesday on Britain’s troubled withdrawal from the bloc, opening the way for a high-stakes meeting of Prime Minister Theresa May’s most senior ministers to consider the plans, the prime minister’s office said.

Cabinet ministers will have a chance to review the draft text before a critical meeting of the full cabinet at 2 p.m. Wednesday, the prime minister’s office said.

After months of deadlock over the terms of Britain’s exit from the bloc, the presentation of the draft agreement is a moment of truth for Mrs. May, who is desperate to avoid a chaotic and disorderly “no-deal” Brexit. But she cannot be assured of support from hard-line Brexiteers in her cabinet, whom she may need to face down.

n the worst case, defections from the cabinet or an outright rejection of the pact could threaten her leadership.

Read more at: Britain and E.U. Agree on a Plan for Brexit - NY Times

Brexit on hold?: May Unbowed by Ruling Pledges to Hold to Brexit Timetable - by Thomas Penny and Kit Chellel

U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May pledged to stick to her Brexit timetable after a court ruled that she needs Parliament’s permission to begin negotiations.

The government immediately said it will appeal the decision, adding that it believes the legal process will allow Britain’s exit from the European Union by mid-2019. The prime minister’s spokeswoman, Helen Bower, said plans to invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty by the end of March remained unchanged.

“The British people made a decision in the referendum and it’s the job of the government to get on with delivering the decision of the British people,” Bower told reporters in London on Thursday. “Parliament will have a role to voice its views through debates.”

The pound -- the worst-performing major currency of 2016 -- rose to a three week high against the dollar on the ruling even as lawmakers said it didn’t call into question the decision to quit the EU.

Read moreMay Unbowed by Ruling Pledges to Hold to Brexit Timetable - Bloomberg

Britain: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn brings quiet, calm manner to Parliament - CSMonitor.com

Jeremy Corbyn, the new leader of Britain's Labour Party, made good on his promise to introduce a more measured tone to the usually raucous 'prime minister's question time.'

David Cameron welcomed a more serious forum for posing and answering questions.

On his first appearance at the dispatch box, Jeremy Corbyn, the new leader of Britain's Labour Party, made good on his promise to introduce a more measured tone to the usually raucous "prime minister's question time."

Facing off against Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday, Corbyn asked a series of questions in a quiet and calm manner that invited a measured response, not a cutting one-line riposte.

It certainly made a change for one of the most recognizable features of British democracy, which has over the decades been nothing more than a shouting match between the prime minister and the leader of the opposition.

Read more: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn brings quiet, calm manner to Parliament - CSMonitor.com