No Plans to Shelve EU Withdrawal Bill Indefinitely - May's Spokeswoman

The UK is still negotiating with the EU over the possibility of backstop arrangements in case there are any delays in the Brexit deal's ratification, Prime Minister Theresa May's spokeswoman said on Thursday. However, Britain, according to her, is not willing to resort to this option.

The spokeswoman noted that Britain was "taking its time" to consider amendments to the EU withdrawal bill, but had no plans "to shelve the deal indefinitely."

The government's EU deal has already suffered 15 defeats in the House of Lords, with the latest being over environmental standards after Brexit. Now the bill is due to return to the Commons, where lawmakers will debate the amendments.

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The bill has also triggered disagreements between May's government and Scotland. On Tuesday, the Scottish parliament voted against the bill and although the vote was symbolic, the current frictions threaten to put Britain on the verge of a constitutional crisis.

Britain hopes to negotiate the withdrawal deal by this October in order to give the European Parliament enough time to debate it before the UK leaves the bloc. Britain is set to leave the EU on March 29, 2019.