UK Parliament rejects move to hold second Brexit referendum

The British Parliament rejected an amendment Thursday that would have led to a second referendum on Brexit. 

The Parliament’s lower house, the House of Commons, voted 334-85 on the legislation that would have called for a second public vote on whether the United Kingdom will leave or remain in the European Union. 

House of Commons votes 334 to 85 to reject @sarahwollaston‘s Amendment (h) to the #Article50 extension motion.

This would have instructed the Prime Minister to seek an extension and hold a public vote on remaining in the EU or leaving on “terms determined by Parliament”. pic.twitter.com/e6VeJonZnm

— UK House of Commons (@HouseofCommons) March 14, 2019

The amendment would not have been legally binding had it passed, and its defeat does not rule out the possibility of the Parliament revisiting the prospect in the future.

A 2016 referendum to withdraw the U.K. from the continental pact got the support of about 52 percent of voters.{mosads}

The vote comes two days after the House of Commons rejected Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal for the second time this year. The rejection comes ahead of a deadline at the end of the month for the U.K. to agree upon a transition plan before it breaks off from the EU. 

The British Parliament must reach a transition agreement before March 29 that would allow further negotiations between the U.K. and EU before Brexit actually takes place. Parliament has also rejected the idea of leaving the European Union without a deal. Parliament is voting Thursday on delaying the exit.

May has so far struggled to win over parliamentary allies to a deal she has already reached with the EU.