That wasn’t the only drastic measure Mrs. May took in pursuit of the clearest possible victory. A vote against Mrs. May’s leadership was effectively a vote against her agreement on leaving the European Union. So we can now assume that at least 117 members of her party are ready to vote against the plan. Without help from the opposition Labour Party, whose leaders are angling for an early general election or a second public referendum on European Union membership, a crushing defeat would be certain. Mrs. May called off a vote on Monday to forestall that outcome, and the arithmetic has not changed.

Source: New York Times December 13, 2018 14:48 UTC