THE British pound dipped against major currencies as a much-anticipated amendment to postpone Brexit was rejected by the British parliament Tuesday night.

The British House of Commons on Tuesday voted 321-298, with a majority of 23, against an amendment from Labour’s Yvette Cooper for Brexit to be delayed by nine months if no deal is agreed by Feb. 26.

The latest development came as British MPs voted on a series of amendments to modify the prime minister’s Brexit plan after it was voted down by a historic margin Jan. 15.

Out of the seven amendments, only two were passed. One is a non-binding call on the government to rule out no-deal Brexit and the other demands replacing Brexit backstop with “alternative arrangements.”

The vote gives May a mandate to return to Brussels to say the Brexit deal is likely to win in the British parliament if changes are made to the Irish border issue. However, the EU has insisted that the Irish backstop is part of the withdrawal agreement and is not open for renegotiation.

The backstop plan is one of the biggest stumbling blocks to the Brexit deal. It is designed to avoid border checks between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It is considered by some British, especially Brexiteers, to be a trap to retain Britain in a customs union with the EU and pragmatically delay their “divorce.”

With less than two months for Britain to leave the EU on March 29 by default, the British business community keeps pleading for an orderly Brexit while implementing contingency plans for a possible no-deal Brexit.

(Xinhua)