MOSCOW, October 20. /TASS/: Commenting on the UK parliament’s adoption of an amendment allowing to delay Brexit, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the delays in the process can be explained by London’s desire to weaken the positions of its European partners.
She said that London’s inability to put into practice its people’s desire to leave the European Union, expressed the in the course of a nationwide referendum, constitutes a violation of civil rights.
"For the fourth year running, the United Kingdom has been unable to put into practice the results of a nationwide referendum," she wrote on her Facebook page. "At first glance, it seems to constitute a violation of civil rights of those who supported exit from the EU."
"But when did the empire ever bother about such trifles?" she asked rhetorically, adding that delays in the withdrawal process provide "an opportunity to weaken the positions of European partners, to wear them out with the lack of understanding about perspectives and possibility of strategic planning."
During an emergency parliamentary session on Saturday, the UK government failed in its attempt to push its draft Brexit agreement through the House of Commons. The lawmakers adopted an amendment, introduced by former Conservative party member Oliver Letwin, which made senseless the vote on the agreement, expected to be held later on Saturday evening.
The text of the amendment says that the deal with the EU will not be approved by the parliament unless the House of Commons adopts all bills, necessary for Brexit. In fact, this means a new delay of Brexit, which, according to Letwin and his supporters, is necessary for avoiding a no-deal Brexit as a result of unforeseen contingencies or a simple lack of time to complete all the required legal procedures.
After the vote, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed his regret by the decision.
