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Lawmakers in the UK Parliament aren’t scheduled to vote on Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal this year, Leader of the House of Commons Andrea Leadsom said on Thursday.
Outlining business for the coming week, Leadsom didn’t include the so-called "meaningful vote" on the agreement, which May is seeking to augment at a summit of EU leaders in Brussels to assuage concerns among lawmakers in her Conservative Party and Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party.
"I don’t expect an immediate breakthrough, but I do hope that we can start to work as soon as possible on the assurances that are required," May told reporters on her way into the summit.
Earlier, May’s spokesperson told reporters in London the timing of the vote will depend on the progress of negotiations with the EU, and that next week hadn’t been definitively ruled out.
"The government will bring the debate and vote back to the House at the latest by January 21," Leadsom said. The delay is because the premier "is listening to the debate that’s taking place in this House and going back to the European Union".
Separately, Leadsom also taunted the opposition Labour Party, which is mulling when it will be best to call a vote of no-confidence in May’s government. "It’s for them to test it in a motion," she said.
