May Seeks to Revise Brexit Deal but EU Rules out Changes

British Prime Minister Theresa May is pinning Brexit hopes on fresh talks with EU leaders after winning a mandate from lawmakers to try to renegotiate a deal -- even if Brussels insists it will not budge, reports AFP. 

May's dramatic decision to abandon a pact she herself sealed with the 27 EU leaders at a summit last month came with Britain on course to crash out of the bloc in political and economic chaos on March 29.

MPs late Tuesday voted through an amendment saying they would only support a divorce deal if its controversial "backstop" clause to keep the Irish border open was removed.

A spokesman for EU Council President Donald Tusk however swiftly said the Brexit deal was "not open for renegotiation" while French President Emmanuel Macron said it was the "best agreement possible".

MPs also voted in favour of a non-binding measure that "rejects the United Kingdom leaving the European Union without a withdrawal agreement".

But they failed to vote through a more important plan -- backed by European supporters -- that would have tried to force through a Brexit delay if no new deal with the EU emerged by February 26.

"I agree that we should not leave without a deal. However, simply opposing no-deal is not enough to stop it," May told MPs.

"The government will now redouble its efforts to get a deal that this house can support."

After the votes, opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he was ready to meet May to discuss a "sensible Brexit solution that works for the whole country".

"After months of refusing to take the chaos of no-deal off the table, the prime minister must now face the reality that no-deal is not an option," he said.

- Brussels challenge -

May now faces a formidable challenge...