UK's May pulls vote on her divorce deal, thrusting Brexit into the unknown

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday abruptly postponed a parliamentary vote on her Brexit deal on Monday, throwing Britain's plan to leave the European Union into chaos after admitting that she faced a rout.

May's move on the eve of the scheduled parliamentary vote opens up an array of possible outcomes, ranging from a disorderly Brexit with no deal to another referendum on EU membership. May's own position could be in jeopardy, with calls from opposition parties for her to step aside.

May said she still intended to put her deal to lawmakers. But she would first ask the EU for more "reassurances" over the main bone of contention: a "backstop" to ensure no hard border on the island of Ireland, which her critics say means Britain could end up indefinitely subject to EU rules after it leaves.