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UK PM sees off more Brexit challenges as Labor prepares to battle for 2nd referendum

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2019-02-28 14:37:10Xinhua Editor : Gu Liping ECNS App Download

A move that paves the way for Britain delaying its planned March 29 departure from Brussels won massive backing Wednesday night by 502 votes to just 20 in the House of Commons .

May's government faced a number of backbench attempts to seize control of the Brexit process with five amendments tabled on a motion to move forward with Brexit.

The government accepted two of the amendments including one by Labor MP Yvette Cooper to lock May to a commitment made to MPs on Tuesday, including one which will allow parliament to delay Brexit if her deal is rejected when a meaningful vote takes place next month.

In a speech to the House of Commons Tuesday May promised a vote by MPs on rejecting a no-deal Brexit or voting to extend Article 50, the measure by which Britain is scheduled to leave on March 29.

Despite what May told MPs 24 hours earlier Cooper decided not to withdraw her amendment to ensure May kept to her promise to bring forward legislation to legally change the date of the UK's departure from the bloc.

Instead Conservative party managers accepted Cooper's amendment rather than resist it in the debate.

Speaker John Bercow had expected there would be no vote after the government announced it would accept Cooper's amendment, and it was expected to be unchallenged in the voting.

In the event a vote was forced, with Cooper's amendment winning by 502 votes to 20.

In an earlier vote of 240 against 323, a majority of 83, Britain's main opposition party lost what was one of its top Brexit demands, keeping Britain in the European Customs Union along with alignment to the EU single market.

Labor is now expected to push for a second referendum to decide the fate of Britain's membership of the EU.

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labor Party had indicated that his party will back another EU referendum if their plan was defeated.

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