May takes Brexit plan to British Parliament

Prime Minister Theresa May must sell her Brexit deal to a divided UK parliament to ensure Britain can leave the European Union with a minimum of upheaval on March 29


Theresa May is expected to put Brexit vote to Parliament on Dec 12

Likely to vote in favour
Possibly voting in favour
Probably voting against
Definitely voting against

320 Votes needed to pass deal*
Of 650 Members of Parliament (MPs) in House of Commons, only 639 are active – by convention, Speaker and his three deputies do not vote, and seven members of Northern Irish nationalist party Sinn Féin do not attend


235 May’s Conservative Party loyalists and one Liberal Democrat MP

80 Conservative Brexiteers and europhiles: MPs who support Brexit but think Theresa May has compromised too much with EU, and those who oppose Brexit

10 Democratic Unionist Party (DUP): Northern Irish party normally votes with May’s minority government under “confidence and supply” arrangement, but says it will not back Brexit deal without changes

25 Labour rebels
Labour MPs who are pro-Brexit or who represent pro-Brexit constituencies

230 Opposition Labour Party loyalists and pro-Europeans

59 Smaller parties
Scottish and Welsh Nationalists, rest of Liberal Democrats, Green Party and independents

*All numbers are rough estimates


If Parliament votes “no”, Theresa May has 21 days to make statement on how government will proceed. MPs who oppose her plan could ultimately vote for it as fears of “no deal” Brexit become reality


Sources: AP, BBC, Bloomberg, Reuters, UK Parliament 
Picture: Getty Images 
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