London, March 31
Two Indian-origin MPs, Priti Patel and Suella Braverman, are among a steadfast group of hard-Brexiteers within Theresa May’s Conservative Party that continues to stand in the way of her EU divorce bill as the UK PM faced yet another bruising defeat in Parliament.
As the UK crossed the initial Brexit Day deadline of March 29, the voting pattern for a third parliamentary vote on May’s withdrawal agreement reveals that she was able to win over a number of high-profile Brexiteers, including Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg, but it did not prove enough in the end as she lost Friday’s vote by a margin of 58.
Gujarati-origin Patel and Goan-origin Suella Braverman are both members of the Brexiteer wing of the Tory party, the European Research Group (ERG), and have been very vocal in favour of leaving the EU ever since campaigning for the June 2016 Brexit referendum.
While some ERG members have since been swayed to back May after her promise to step down as the Prime Minister for the next phase of Brexit negotiations, Patel and Braverman make up a group of 34 Tory rebels—some remainers but mostly Brexiteers—who are firmly opposed to the deal and are likely to oppose even a fourth vote now being planned.
“The implications of the House’s decision are grave. The legal default now is that the UKis due to leave the EU on April 12,” May told the Commons moments after yet another 344-286 vote defeat.
