After repeated failed attempts to pass the government’s Brexit deal, the UK parliament backed a motion Thursday seeking to extend the withdrawal period beyond March 29. The plan now needs to be agreed upon by 27 EU member states.
"There is an EU summit this week. It is not too late to get real change to the backstop. It would be absurd to hold the vote before that has even been attempted", Johnson was quoted as saying by Reuters.
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May has been reportedly facing pressure from both inside and outside the country due to uncertainty over a UK withdrawal from the European Union which she initiated in March 2017 following the 2016 referendum.
The UK parliament in January rejected May's first Brexit plan, mainly due to concerns over the Irish border backstop, citing fears that the United Kingdom might remain in a permanent customs union with the bloc should the backstop policy, aimed at preventing a hard border on the island of Ireland, remain in its current form.
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The backstop is an insurance policy to stop any return of border control between the Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland if a future Brexit deal fails to remove the need.
After suffering continued defeat in the UK parliament, May is expected to hold a third vote on a Brexit deal this week.
