Will Brexit vote bring down UK govt? – The Wall Street Journal
DUBLIN – As the March deadline for the UK's exit from the European Union rapidly approaches, UK PM Theresa May is facing her toughest challenge yet. Having finally negotiated a draft agreement with the EU, May must now get the vote approved by a sceptical Parliament. In a bid to drum up support, May has been reaching out to businesses in the UK, trying to sell the plan as the best available option. But even as her marketing efforts continue, concerns are growing about the fate of her government. Some lawmakers have indicated that they want to take a vote of no confidence in May. Such a move may trigger snap elections and potentially lose Tories control of Parliament. Many lawmakers within her party have said that they would prefer a hard Brexit (crashing out of the EU with no deal) to the deal on offer. The shape that Brexit takes will have serious implications for South Africa. The UK is a major South African trading partner and many South African goods that are sold more widely in Europe are landed in the UK. A hard Brexit would mean supply chain disruptions that would affect South African farmers, and the broader implications would also potentially hurt mining and minerals operations. To the extent that Brexit leads to slower growth in the UK and Europe, it will drag on South Africa's already-weak growth. The fate of May's Brexit plan will hit your wallet, one way or another. – Felicity Duncan
By Max Colchester and Jason Douglas
(The Wall Street Journal) LONDON—British Prime Minister Theresa May Monday intensified a campaign to get businesses to back her Brexit agreement, trying to build momentum behind her much-maligned plan to extract the U.K. from the European Union.
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