‘Humiliated’: World media react to British PM’s Brexit defeat

Britain is in “uncharted waters” after Prime Minister Theresa May was “humiliated” by the “crushing defeat” of her Brexit deal in parliament, according to scathing reactions in the British and world press on Wednesday.

Here are some of the responses:

– ‘Brextinct’ –

“May’s Brexit deal dead as a dodo”, Britain’s biggest-selling newspaper The Sun said, with a mock-up picture of the PM as the extinct flightless bird, under the front page headline “Brextinct”.

The Daily Telegraph’s front page read: “A complete humiliation”.

Times columnist Matthew Parris branded May “a zombie prime minister”.

The Daily Mirror’s front page said: “No deal, no hope, no clue, no confidence.”

The Daily Mail tabloid said May was “fighting for her life”.

“Now it’s time for MPs to do their duty and work with Theresa May for a deal that satisfies the 17.4m who voted for Brexit… Don’t fail us!” the Daily Express said under the headline “Dismay”.

“May suffers historic defeat as Tories turn against her,” said The Guardian’s front page.

“The PM leads a party that is divided and a country stockpiling food and medicines as if preparing for war. She needs to humbly reach out to her opponents and find a way to prevent Britain crashing out of the EU,” its editorial said.

– ‘Gridlocked’ –

“A democracy that cannot change its mind is not a democracy,” wrote New York Times columnist Roger Cohen, suggesting Britain hold another referendum on leaving the EU.

“The people may do that when presented with the whole picture after seeing only a partial or distorted one.”

The Washington Post said in an editorial that “Brexit has gridlocked the British political system,” warning against a “no-deal” Brexit.

“Both Ms May and her parliamentary opponents must now make it their overriding priority to avoid that disastrous outcome,” it said.

– ‘What a Brexshit’ –

“Great Britain, the homeland of democracy, was once known as the ‘island of reason’. That is over,” Germany’s Bild tabloid said, under the headline “What a Brexshit”.

“Attention Brussels: your time is coming! As the British obviously don’t know how to help themselves, someone else must come to the rescue, and it can only be the partner on the other side of the table,” said German newspaper Die Welt.

– ‘What Plan B?’ –

French newspaper Le Figaro’s headline read: “Plan B, what Plan B?”

“All this may lead to the inevitable postponement of the exit date from the EU,” it said.

– ‘Unknown territory’ –

“Now that the firm ground of the only seemingly possible deal has been abandoned, we venture with sails on fire into unknown territory” — Spain’s El Pais newspaper said under the headline “May’s crushing defeat exacerbates Brexit crisis”.

– ‘Impossible to predict’ –

“Britain is navigating in unchartered waters: this is the only thing all MPs of all parties can agree on,” said Nicol Degli Innocenti in Italian financial newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore.

rjm/zak/dl/rlp