London (CNN)Theresa May is spending this weekend trying to plot a way out of the UK’s Brexit stalemate after Parliament rejected her deal for a third time. With just two weeks left to the new deadline of April 12, she — and the House of Commons — are running out of options.
There may be a fourth attempt to persuade lawmakers to back her deal, but this time set against a softer version of Brexit in order to force an affirmative decision one way or the other. But with the numbers deadlocked right now, and little sign that May can turn defeat into victory in a matter of days, the only way out of this — and one that the PM is reportedly actively considering — could be a fresh UK general election.
Two years ago, the normally cautious Prime Minister played against type by calling a snap election three years earlier than necessary. She wanted to secure a bigger mandate for her own Brexit vision — and ended up throwing away her Conservative majority.
