Over the past few days, Britain has entered into a major political crisis. Negotiators for the Conservative Party government made a deal with European Union negotiators over the Brexit process. However, the deal was unacceptable to the Democratic Unionist Party, which the government relies on for support, as well as to the Labour Party and many members of the Conservative Party. Now rebel Conservatives have gathered the necessary votes to challenge the leadership of Prime Minister Theresa May. How did this happen, and what happens next?
The U.K.-E.U. exit deal was highly controversial
The key challenge that both May and the European Union face is that there is no obvious deal acceptable to both Britain and the E.U. Negotiations have been eaten up by an issue that was never seriously discussed in the lead-up to the Brexit referendum — the border between the Republic of Ireland (which remains in the E.U.) and Northern Ireland (which is part of the U.K. and, hence, is leaving the E.U.). There are no real border controls along this frontier, which has helped cement peace in Northern Ireland, but this is threatened by the U.K.’s decision to exit the E.U. and the E.U.’s Customs Union and Single Market.
Read the full piece at The Washington Post.