LONDON-Now that British lawmakers overwhelmingly rejected Prime Minister Theresa May´s Brexit divorce deal for a second time, the country´s planned March 29 departure from the bloc is an open question.Lawmakers now have two starkly different choices: no deal or delay.A look at what might happen in the days ahead:DESTINATION NO-DEALThe House of Commons voted 391-242 against May´s EU withdrawal agreement Tuesday, snubbing changes she secured from the bloc the night before to allay concerns about the deal´s Irish border provisions. Lawmakers voted down the deal in January by an even bigger margin.After the tally, May said Parliament would vote Wednesday on whether to abandon efforts to secure an agreement and to leave the EU as planned in a little more than two weeks without a deal.A phalanx of pro-Brexit politicians supports that idea. They argue it would free the U.K. from EU rules and red tape, allowing the country to forge an independent global trade policy.Read more:Â Last-minute Brexit compromise reachedBritain`s parliament strongly rejects prime minister Theresa May`s Brexit dealIs there a way forward from Brexit?But economists and businesses fear a so-called `no-deal Brexit` would hammer the economy as tariffs and other trade barriers go up between Britain and the EU, its biggest trading partner.In the short term, there could be gridlock at British ports and shortages of fresh produce. In the long run, the government says a no-deal scenario would leave the economy 6 per cent to 9 per cent smaller over 15 years than remaining in the EU.Last month, Parliament passed a non-binding amendment ruling out a `no-deal` Brexit, and it is unlikely they will support it now. May said lawmakers would be free to follow their consciences rather than party lines when they consider the question Wednesday.DELAY, DELAY, DELAYIf lawmakers give leaving the EU without an agreement a thumbs down, they have one choice left: seeking more time. A third vote scheduled for Thursday ...
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