British lawmakers were tied 310-310 on Wednesday in a vote on an amendment to hold another round of “indicative votes” on Brexit options.
With the result, Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow voted against the amendment, saying that he will not vote to create a majority, Xinhua news agency reported.
Bercow said that he followed the parliamentary procedure by voting against the amendment.
“In accordance with precedent and on in the principle that important decisions should not be taken except by a majority, I cast my votes with the noes. So the noes have it,” Bercow said.
In a later vote, MPs voted 312 to 311 to support the proposal to debate a bill to block a no-deal Brexit.
The Wednesday votes came as British Prime Minister Theresa May was meeting with opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn in a bid to find a way forward on leaving the European Union.
May defended her decision to meet Corbyn in response to criticism from her own Conservative MPs, saying that working with the Labour is the “only way” to deliver a smooth and orderly Brexit as she wrote to Tory MPs appealing for unity.
She said that her deal is “unlikely” to pass on votes of MPs from Conservative MPs and the Democratic Unionist Party, which props up May’s government.
“With some colleagues unwilling to support the government in the division lobbies, this is the only way to deliver the smooth, orderly Brexit that we promised,” she wrote.
Britain has until April 12, the latest Brexit date, to propose a plan to the European Union, which must be accepted by them, or it will leave the regional bloc without a deal.
