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UK to withdraw from EU without any deal, experts say

The British authorities will take some emergency measures before or right after the withdrawal, one of the experts believes

© AP Photo/Matt Dunham

MOSCOW, January 16. /TASS/. Following the Brexit deal failure, the United Kingdom will have to leave the European Union without any agreement, said Russian experts interviewed by TASS on Wednesday.

"Theresa May enjoys being British Prime Minister, she is not going to resign, which proves that the country will leave the EU without any deal during her term in office," said Director of development of the Russian International Affairs Council Alexander Kramarenko, who served as Minister-Counsellor at the Russian embassy in London in 2011-2017. "This is an issue not only for Great Britain, but for EU countries as well," he added.

Read also

UK parliament rejects Brexit deal, motion of no confidence to follow

According to him, the British authorities will take some emergency measures before or right after the withdrawal. "There are some common interests, while it is up to analysts to discuss who will suffer more. Both parties will suffer damages," the expert noted.

Russian Institute for Strategic Studies expert Igor Pshenichnikov believes that Theresa May will survive Wednesday's no-confidence vote. He said that the Tory government and the allied Democratic Unionist Party would vote in favor of the government. "The problem is that the cabinet had to do something in the past two years, making it look like a tough Brexit is the only possible way. The British people voted for leaving the EU but there were no conditions, while the agreement negotiated with Brussels actually turned Brexit into a virtual step, as if saying ‘we leave but we are actually staying’," the expert pointed out.

At the same time, in Pshenichnikov’s words, other options are also possible. "If a no-confidence vote is passed, a new general election will take place. The Labor Party plans to win the election and launch new talks with Brussels," he said.

According to the expert, the EU is reluctant to give concessions to the United Kingdom to avoid encouraging other countries, such as Greece and Italy, who are unhappy with their position in the EU. "It could start a chain reaction," he concluded.

Brexit deal failure

On Tuesday, the British House of Commons voted by 432 votes to 202 to turn down the Brexit deal May had negotiated with the European Union. It is the biggest defeat ever for a sitting British government, as the deal was rejected by 230 votes. The deal needed to be approved by the British parliament to enter into force. The United Kingdom is scheduled to withdraw from the European Union on March 29, 2019, while a transition period is planned to last until the end of 2020.

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