Britain’s Parliament on Saturday approved a measure to delay a definitive vote on Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal with the European Union.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said in a Twitter post that his country welcomed the House of Commons vote “not as a rejection of the Withdrawal Agreement but as postponement of its acceptance.”
He added that Poland would “support a positive approach” within the EU to Johnson’s proposal.
Morawiecki also said in his post that avoiding a “chaotic, no-deal Brexit should be our top priority.”
Britain’s Johnson struck an exit agreement with the EU on Thursday, just ahead of a summit of European leaders in Brussels.
He then aimed to put the agreement to a vote at an extraordinary session of the British parliament on Saturday.
But, in a major blow to the British prime minister, lawmakers in the House of Commons on Saturday voted 322-306 to postpone a decision on whether to back his Brexit deal.
The measure adopted by British MPs aims to ensure their country will not crash out of the EU without a divorce deal on the scheduled departure date at the end of this month.
The BBC quoted Johnson as saying that he would press on "undaunted" with his Brexit strategy despite losing a vital vote in the House of Commons.
He vowed to introduce legislation needed to implement his agreement in Parliament next week, the British broadcaster reported.
But Johnson was forced to ask the EU for an extension beyond October 31 after MPs backed a motion designed to rule out a no-deal exit.
EU leaders in April agreed to delay Britain's departure from the bloc until October 31.
Poland’s Morawiecki said at the time that the extension averted the prospect of a “chaotic hard Brexit.”
Poles concerned over Brexit impact
The impact of Britain’s shock 2016 decision to withdraw from the bloc has been closely watched in Warsaw as there are around 1 million Poles living in the UK, constituting that country’s largest minority community.
Poland’s Morawiecki said on Thursday that the Brexit deal struck by Johnson with Brussels would secure the rights of Poles living in Britain.
Morawiecki said earlier this year that a no-deal Brexit would be “a bad solution” for both Britain and the European Union.
In his first speech as prime minister, Britain's Johnson in July promised EU nationals in his country "absolute certainty" that they can “live and remain” in the UK after Brexit.
He also said at the time that “Brexit was a fundamental decision by the British people” and that this decision must now be respected.
Britain’s previous Prime Minister Theresa May in December told Poles living in her country that they were welcome and would be able to stay in the UK after Brexit.
Meanwhile, over 60 percent of Poles surveyed domestically at the end of last year said that the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union would have a negative impact on their country.
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Source: PAP, IAR, BBC, CNN