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Brexit Quiz - Theresa May and Brexit (Questions)

Following David Cameron's resignation, it was up to our new Prime Minister, Theresa May, to negotiate a deal with the EU in an attempt to deliver Brexit. She gave notice of our intention to leave in March 2017, but feared getting any deal past Parliament. Because of this, she called an early General Election.

May's attempt to increase her majority backfired. Now she would need the consent of opposition MPs to pass her deal. However, it was Brexiteers within the Conservative Party who proved to be her downfall. They rejected her deal again and again, and even called for a vote of no confidence in their leader.

Ultimately, Theresa May was forced to resign. Her attempts to find a middle-way which kept Brexiteers and Remainers happy, were doomed to failure. She left office in July 2019, the second UK Prime minister to be brought down by Brexit.

1. On 29th March 2017, the United Kingdom gave formal notice to the European Council of its intention to withdraw from the EU, when it invoked what?
[ ] Item 25
[ ] Section 18
[ ] Article 50
[ ] Clause 15
2. When she became Prime Minister, Theresa May had a majority of just 17 MPs. To make Brexit easier, she decided to call a General Election. What was her majority after the election?
[ ] She didn't have a majority
[ ] She had a majority of one MP
[ ] She had a majority of six MPs
[ ] She had a majority of ten MPs
3. Theresa May’s first defeat in Parliament came in December 2017. What did her loss grant to MPs?
[ ] A second referendum
[ ] A vote on the final Brexit deal
[ ] A guarantee that No Deal could not happen
[ ] Article 50 was revoked
4. On the 4th December 2018, MPs declared Theresa May’s Government to be what?
[ ] The best government ever
[ ] The worst government ever
[ ] Unable to rule
[ ] In contempt of Parliament
5. Theresa May faced her first vote of no confidence on 12th December 2018. Which MP led calls for the vote?
[ ] Jo Swinson
[ ] Boris Johnson
[ ] Jeremy Corbyn
[ ] Jacob Rees-Mogg
6. On 15th January 2019, Mrs. May put her deal to leave the European Union before Parliament, who rejected it. What is special about this defeat?
[ ] Fewer votes were cast than in any other parliamentary vote before it
[ ] It was the largest ever defeat for a UK government
[ ] More votes were cast than in any other parliamentary vote before it
[ ] It saw the longest ever continuous speech in a parliamentary debate
7. Mrs. May faced her second vote of no confidence shortly after the first defeat of her deal. She won this vote by 325 votes to 306. What did she ask for immediately following her victory?
[ ] For a general election
[ ] For MPs to stop picking on her
[ ] To meet leaders of all parties
[ ] For an extension of Article 50
8. Theresa May’s next defeat came when MPs voted by 303 to 258 against a motion endorsing the Government's negotiating strategy. The vote was held on which special day in 2019?
[ ] Valentine's Day
[ ] St. Patrick's Day
[ ] April Fool's Day
[ ] Mother's Day
9. The deal Mrs. May negotiated with the EU was brought back before Parliament on March 12th, 2019 and it was defeated again. What did she do as a result of this second loss?
[ ] She asked the EU to extend Britain’s EU membership
[ ] She resigned as Prime Minister
[ ] She took an extended holiday
[ ] She called a general election
10. Mrs. May’s deal was rejected by Parliament for a third time on 29th March 2019. She told which group of MPs that she would "not lead the UK in the next stage of Brexit negotiations"?
[ ] The Shadow Cabinet
[ ] The Select Committee
[ ] The 1922 Committee
[ ] The European Research Group
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Brexit Quiz - Theresa May and Brexit (Answers)
1. On 29th March 2017, the United Kingdom gave formal notice to the European Council of its intention to withdraw from the EU, when it invoked what?
[ ] Item 25
[ ] Section 18
[x] Article 50
[ ] Clause 15
Invoking Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union meant that the UK was set to leave the EU on 29th March 2019. Things rarely go as planned!
2. When she became Prime Minister, Theresa May had a majority of just 17 MPs. To make Brexit easier, she decided to call a General Election. What was her majority after the election?
[x] She didn't have a majority
[ ] She had a majority of one MP
[ ] She had a majority of six MPs
[ ] She had a majority of ten MPs
May’s attempt to increase her power did not go as planned. The election resulted in a hung parliament and the Conservatives had to make a deal with Northern Ireland’s DUP in order to remain in government
3. Theresa May’s first defeat in Parliament came in December 2017. What did her loss grant to MPs?
[ ] A second referendum
[x] A vote on the final Brexit deal
[ ] A guarantee that No Deal could not happen
[ ] Article 50 was revoked
11 Conservative MPs rebelled against their leader. Ministers said the "minor setback" would not prevent the UK leaving the EU in 2019. However, MPs having a vote on any deal did exactly that
4. On the 4th December 2018, MPs declared Theresa May’s Government to be what?
[ ] The best government ever
[ ] The worst government ever
[ ] Unable to rule
[x] In contempt of Parliament
The vote (which the government lost by 311 votes to 293) was triggered by their failure to put before Parliament any legal advice on the proposed withdrawal agreement.
Afterwards, Mrs. May agreed to publish the full legal advice given by the Attorney General
5. Theresa May faced her first vote of no confidence on 12th December 2018. Which MP led calls for the vote?
[ ] Jo Swinson
[ ] Boris Johnson
[ ] Jeremy Corbyn
[x] Jacob Rees-Mogg
Rees-Mogg was a back bench Conservative MP. Mrs. May won the vote by 200 votes to 117. Despite losing the vote, Rees-Mogg said the Prime Minister had "clearly lost the support of the back benches of the Conservative Party".
6. On 15th January 2019, Mrs. May put her deal to leave the European Union before Parliament, who rejected it. What is special about this defeat?
[ ] Fewer votes were cast than in any other parliamentary vote before it
[x] It was the largest ever defeat for a UK government
[ ] More votes were cast than in any other parliamentary vote before it
[ ] It saw the longest ever continuous speech in a parliamentary debate
MPs voted by 432 votes to 202 to reject the deal - a majority of 230. The second highest defeat for a government was in 1924, when the minority Labour government of Ramsay MacDonald lost by 166 votes
7. Mrs. May faced her second vote of no confidence shortly after the first defeat of her deal. She won this vote by 325 votes to 306. What did she ask for immediately following her victory?
[ ] For a general election
[ ] For MPs to stop picking on her
[x] To meet leaders of all parties
[ ] For an extension of Article 50
She wanted agreement on how to go about leaving the European Union. Opposition leaders asked May to ensure that a no-deal Brexit would not occur, but this was not guaranteed
8. Theresa May’s next defeat came when MPs voted by 303 to 258 against a motion endorsing the Government's negotiating strategy. The vote was held on which special day in 2019?
[x] Valentine's Day
[ ] St. Patrick's Day
[ ] April Fool's Day
[ ] Mother's Day
The defeat came after a group of pro-Brexit Conservative MPs abstained. Theresa May’s strategy was not popular with Remainers or with Leavers
9. The deal Mrs. May negotiated with the EU was brought back before Parliament on March 12th, 2019 and it was defeated again. What did she do as a result of this second loss?
[x] She asked the EU to extend Britain’s EU membership
[ ] She resigned as Prime Minister
[ ] She took an extended holiday
[ ] She called a general election
European Union leaders granted the UK a six-month extension to Brexit. The new withdrawal date was October 31st, 2019 – but even that date came and went with the UK still in the EU
10. Mrs. May’s deal was rejected by Parliament for a third time on 29th March 2019. She told which group of MPs that she would "not lead the UK in the next stage of Brexit negotiations"?
[ ] The Shadow Cabinet
[ ] The Select Committee
[x] The 1922 Committee
[ ] The European Research Group
The committee represents backbench Conservative MPs, many of whom no longer supported their Prime Minister. She resigned on 24th July, paving the way for Boris Johnson to become our next PM