SNP will work with other parties to find way forward on Brexit – Sturgeon
Nicola Sturgeon said the Prime Minister must accept her ‘bad deal’ is dead after it was rejected by MPs for the third time.
Scotland’s First Minister has said the SNP will work with others to find a way forward on Brexit after Theresa May’s deal was rejected for the third time.
Nicola Sturgeon said the Prime Minister must accept her “bad deal” is dead after MPs voted against her EU Withdrawal Agreement by a margin of 58 votes.
Ms Sturgeon said the SNP is trying to stop Brexit and that she hopes for a second referendum or the revocation of Article 50.
Meanwhile, Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard called on Mrs May to resign immediately and said the country needs a general election.
Ms Sturgeon said the nationalists will work with others to find the “best option possible”.
She tweeted: “Third defeat for PM’s bad deal – she must now accept that it’s dead. The Commons will now return on Monday to find a way forward.
“I hope that will be to put the issue back to the people and/or revoke Article 50 – but @theSNP will work with others to find the best option possible.”
MPs voted by 344 to 286 against the deal on Friday, the day the UK was due to leave the European Union.
The result of the crunch vote means that the UK has missed an EU deadline to secure an extension of the Brexit process and leave with a deal on May 22.
Scottish Secretary David Mundell said the Prime Minister is committed to delivering on leaving the EU.
He said: “I’m very disappointed that Parliament has failed to support the Prime Minister’s deal guaranteeing us the opportunity to leave the EU on the 22nd of May in an orderly fashion.
“It’s clear what was going on in the chamber, as has been throughout this process, is politicking, Labour voting against because they want to get rid of the Government and create a general election, the nationalists because they want chaos and an independence referendum. Sadly, most of their MPs didn’t put the national interest ahead of party self-interest.
“On Monday, Parliament will again look at the options for Brexit, all of which of course will require a withdrawal agreement, but this time perhaps they will be able to come to a majority decision.
“On Wednesday, when Parliament looked at the options it rejected them all, people are very good in this place at telling us what they don’t want, they’re not very good at telling us what they do want.
“And I know what the country wants is to get this sorted, leave the EU on an orderly basis and move on.”
Mrs May now has until April 12 to go back to Brussels with new proposals and seek a longer extension to the negotiation process, or see the UK leave without a deal that day.
Mr Leonard said: “The Prime Minister must now finally realise that her deal is dead and cannot command majority support in the House of Commons.
“Theresa May’s reckless red lines have made the threat of no deal more likely today. Her years of claiming that no deal was better than a bad deal was simply a lie. She should resign immediately.
“The House of Commons must come together on Monday, find common ground and come up with an alternative deal to prevent a no deal and halt the crisis which the country is now facing.
“This country needs fresh leadership and only Labour can provide it; that’s why we need a general election.”
