Brexit news: British MPs warned they have 'last chance' to reach deal

The European Parliament’s top Brexit official says the UK has a “last chance” to break the deadlock on leaving the European Union.

Guy Verhofstadt tweeted the comments soon after Britain’s Parliament again rejected alternative options to Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal. Parliament has carved out time tomorrow for another series of indicative votes on Brexit options.

Verhofstadt said: “The House of Commons again votes against all options. A hard #Brexit becomes nearly inevitable. On Wednesday, the U.K. has a last chance to break the deadlock or face the abyss.”

The British government says it will now continue to pursue support for May’s Brexit deal, which has been rejected three times by MPs.

Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay says that May’s deal is the only way forward in light of Parliament’s inability to find a clear majority for an alternative arrangement.

Barclay says the default position calls for Britain to leave the European Union in 11 days. He says if Parliament agrees to May’s withdrawal agreement this week it “may be possible” to leave the EU without participating in European elections in late May.

Conservative Party MP Nick Boles says he is quitting the party after one of his Brexit proposals was voted down.

Boles made the dramatic statement in Parliament moments after the results of the votes were announced, saying he couldn’t remain in the party. Boles’ proposal called for Britain to remain in the European Union’s single market for goods and services. It was narrowly defeated by 282-261.

Boles said that “I have failed chiefly because my party refuses to compromise.” He said he regretted that he could no longer be part of the party.

The political uncertainty has caused turmoil for people and businesses on both sides of the Channel.

Before the votes, the chief executive of industrial manufacturer Siemens UK Juergen Maier implored British MPs to unite around a compromise Brexit deal, saying the country's political chaos was making the UK a "laughing stock."

Maier urged lawmakers to keep Britain in a customs union with the EU, saying that would allow frictionless trade to continue. In a letter published by the Politico website, he said "where the UK used to be beacon for stability, we are now becoming a laughing stock."

May's spokesman, James Slack, said the prime minister understood that "business wants certainty," and urged MPs to support May's Brexit deal.

May could try to bring her Brexit agreement back for a fourth time later this week. Slack said the prime minister "believes there is a majority in the House for leaving in an orderly way with a deal," and her agreement was the best on offer.

Slack rejected speculation that the government could take drastic action, such as asking Queen Elizabeth II to suspend Parliament or getting her to refuse to sign legislation.

"We don't have any intention of involving the queen," he said.

Monday's votes in Parliament followed an earlier round last week in which none of the eight Brexit options on offer secured a majority.

Staying in the EU customs union or holding a new Brexit referendum were on the table, along with other "soft Brexit" alternatives and a call for a no-deal Brexit in which Britain leaves the EU without a deal on April 12.

The range of choices, and lack of consensus, reflected a Parliament and a government deeply divided over how — and whether — to leave the EU.

Justice Secretary David Gauke said leaving the bloc without a deal was "not the responsible thing for a government to do."

But his Cabinet colleague Liz Truss said it would be better than a soft Brexit.

"I think that we are well prepared for no deal," Truss, who is chief secretary to the Treasury, told the BBC. "I don't have any fear of no deal."

The divisions within May's government over what to do next have left many Britons exasperated — including Conservative Party lawmakers.

Chief Whip Julian Smith, whose job is to ensure that Conservative MPs vote for government-backed policies, called the public Cabinet squabbling "the "worst example of ill-discipline in British political history."

May has less than two weeks to bridge the hostile divide that separates those in her government who want to sever links with the EU and those who want to keep the ties that have bound Britain to the bloc for almost 50 years.

EU leaders will hold a special summit on April 10 to consider any request from Britain for a longer delay to Brexit — or to make last-minute preparations for Britain's departure without a deal two days later.