British Prime Minister Theresa May on December 13 suffered a damaging parliamentary defeat over Brexit, after her own MPs rebelled to demand parliament have the final say on the divorce deal with Brussels.
Members of Ms. May's Conservative party joined with opposition lawmakers to inflict the government's first defeat over the flagship E.U. (Withdrawal) Bill, sparking huge cheers in the House of Commons.
It is a blow to Ms. May on the eve of a crucial summit in Brussels, where E.U. leaders are expected to approve the terms of the interim Brexit deal agreed last week after months of tortuous negotiations.
The E.U. (Withdrawal) Bill is intended to formally end Britain's membership of the E.U., as well as smooth its exit by transferring thousands of pieces of European legislation onto the U.K. statute books.
It also gives Ministers powers to amend the laws as they move across, to address any technical glitches.
But MPs objected to the fact that these so-called "Henry VIII" powers also extend to the implementation of the withdrawal agreement with the E.U.
