UK lawmakers impede path to no-deal Brexit with new motion

British lawmakers have put a roadblock in the path of any attempt to take Britain out of the European Union without a divorce deal.

The House of Commons has passed a motion that stops the government from suspending Parliament in the weeks before the UK’s scheduled October 31 departure date.

Boris Johnson, who is likely to be elected Britain’s new prime minister next week, has not ruled out such a suspension if lawmakers try to block his Brexit plan. He says the country must leave the EU on schedule, even if that means quitting the bloc without a divorce deal.

Most economists say a no-deal Brexit would batter the economy, and a majority of lawmakers opposes leaving without an agreement.

The 315-274 Commons vote saw several ministers abstain rather than support the government’s call to keep suspending Parliament as an option.

— AP