UK Parliament readies for new vote on EU divorce deal

A motorcyclist passes a banner tied to railings outside Parliament in London, Thursday, March 28, 2019. British Prime Minister Theresa May is making a final effort to save her European Union withdrawal deal after her promise to quit failed to win over lawmakers from Northern Ireland. May pledged Wednesday night that she would stand down if the deal were approved, in hopes of blunting opposition from lawmakers who have criticized her leadership. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Pro-Brexit campaigners lobby outside Parliament in London, Thursday, March 28, 2019. The British government says it plans to hold a new Brexit debate in Parliament Friday, but hasn't confirmed whether it will call a third vote on its twice-rejected European Union divorce deal. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

LONDON – On the day that Britain was originally scheduled to leave the European Union, lawmakers are facing what Theresa May's government describes as the "last chance to vote for Brexit."

Friday's parliamentary vote is on only part of the deal that Prime Minister Theresa May negotiated with the EU, in a bid by May to blunt the opposition that has already forced her to ask for an extension.

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox told the BBC that people will wonder why Parliament hasn't lived up to its commitment to abide by voters' decision to leave the EU.

Fox says: "It is, in fact, really, the last chance we have to vote for Brexit as we understood it today. ... I think all MPs will have to reflect today who are the masters and who are the servants in our democratic process."