Theresa May faces fresh fight over Brexit

Theresa May's initial deal was crushed by a humiliating defeat in Parliament two weeks ago. Photo / AP

British Prime Minister Theresa May returned to Parliament overnight to face a House of Commons trying to wrest control of Brexit from her, as the clock ticks down towards Britain's departure from the European Union in just 60 days.

Members of Parliament, frustrated by the inability of the Prime Minister to win approval for her withdrawal agreement, were ready to debate and vote on cross-party amendments designed to steer the Government one way or another on Brexit.

May's initial deal was crushed by a humiliating defeat in Parliament two weeks ago, and she survived a subsequent no-confidence challenge on a party-line vote. The famously dogged - or obstinate - May appeared to be out of fresh ideas when she returned to the House of Commons last week with a "plan B" that sounded a lot like a warmed-over plan A.

Meanwhile, Parliament remains gripped by deadlock, without a clear majority on how to exit the European Union after four decades of free trade and shared governing.

The flamboyant, sharp-tongued Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, has upended tradition by allowing a raft of possible amendments to be debated - leading his critics to charge that the Speaker is trying to help backbench renegades foil Brexit by taking control away from the Government.

One of the most popular amendments likely to be considered, written by two backbenchers from opposing parties, seeks to give May until the end of February to secure a deal with Brussels that could pass through Parliament. If the the Prime Minister fails again, then the chamber wants her to seek permission from EU leaders to delay Brexit beyond the scheduled departure date of March 29.

There is disagreement over whether such a delay should be a few months long or until the end of 2019, as the amendment proposes.

John Bercow

Another amendment seeks to stop May's Government from allowing Britain to leave the EU in two months with no deal at all. The no-deal scenario is unpopular among many members of Parliament, but it remains a possibility. Governments and businesses in Britain and across Europe are preparing to spend billions in contingency plans.

Richard Harrington, an undersecretary for industry and energy, told a gathering in London that a no-deal Brexit would be "a total disaster for the economy". "I am very happy to be public about it and very happy if the Prime Minister decides I am not the right person to do the business industry job," he said, essentially daring May to sack him.

Yet some hardcore Brexiteers support leaving the European trading bloc with no deal, because of their extreme dislike of May's approach, which seeks to keep Britain closely tied to European rules.

Many ordinary citizens who support Brexit are telling pollsters the same thing, that they are sick and tired of the endless dithering and just want out.

Andrea Leadsom, the Tory leader of the House, told The Sunday Times that "taking no deal off the table has been used as a thinly veiled attempt to stop Brexit". In recent days British business leaders have warned that a no-deal scenario poses real risks to the economy. Facing such dour warnings from British business, May was expected to try to convince Parliament to allow her to return to Brussels one more time to try to strike a better deal.