UK public’s top Google searches about Brexit answered

Following the historic dismissal of Mrs May’s Brexit deal by MPs, voters are looking for answers about what happens next.

The dismissal of Theresa May’s Brexit deal by MPs on Tuesday night has brought more questions than answers for the British public, at least if their Google searches are to believed.

The world’s biggest search engine has released information on the most-searched questions following the vote, ranging from how MPs voted to WTO trade rules.

Here are answers to the biggest questions.

Did my MP support Brexit?

With more than twice as many MPs voting against the Prime Minister’s deal than for it, chances are high that most people’s elected representative went against the Government.

The websites MySociety.org and TheyWorkForYou.com both hold details about how every MP voted on the EU Withdrawal Agreement and nearly every other vote in Parliament.

What happened with Brexit?

After more than a year of negotiations, Mrs May presented her EU Withdrawal Agreement to Parliament in November, but it was immediately dismissed by hard Brexiteers within her own party, leading to a string of Cabinet resignations.

Hours before Parliament was due to vote on the deal in December, sensing a heavy defeat, the PM delayed the vote and returned to Brussels to seek reassurances about its implications.

Despite her efforts, MPs rejected the deal in a meaningful vote on Tuesday.

What is WTO Brexit?

Many Brexiteers who support leaving the EU without a deal have argued that a simple solution would be for the UK to trade with the rest of the world on rules set by the World Trade Organisation.

WTO rules decide the level of tax imposed on goods whenever they cross a border, known as tariffs, where countries do not already have an agreement.

There are no tariffs on UK imports from the EU, and tariffs on imports from other countries are relatively low thanks to existing trade agreements. Trading under WTO rules means tariffs will be much higher.

The UK has yet to negotiate any new trade deals with any other countries in preparation for leaving the EU, meaning WTO rules would apply to all imports and exports.

Until new trade agreements are signed, anything imported into the UK or exported but UK businesses will be subject to these much higher taxes, damaging businesses and affecting the prices of nearly all goods found in the shops.

What will happen now with Brexit?

Before anything else can happen on Brexit, Theresa May’s Government must survive a vote from MPs on whether they can still run the country, to be held on Wednesday night.

If the Government survives the vote, Theresa May is scheduled to deliver a so-called Plan B for leaving the EU on January 21.

If the Government loses, there is likely to be a general election.

Whichever way the vote goes, and with only 72 days left until the UK is due to leave the EU, many commentators believe the Government will delay leaving to negotiate a deal that can command a majority in Parliament and be acceptable to the EU.

Is Brexit cancelled?

Brexit is not cancelled. A large majority of MPs disagreed with Theresa May’s Government about the best way to continue, and a sizeable minority of MPs are arguing for a second referendum – but at present the UK is still due to leave the EU on March 29.

How much has Brexit cost so far?

The Government set aside more than £4.2 billion for Brexit preparations in 2016, not all of which has been spent yet.

A study by the Centre for European Reform in September found that the UK economy was 2.5% smaller than it would have been had Remain won the referendum.

The centre’s deputy director, John Springford, estimated the impact to have cost the Treasury roughly £440 million per week – and the website CostOfBrexit.netlify has set up a running total, currently at £59 billion.

What is the backstop in the Brexit negotiations?

The backstop arrangement outlined in the Prime Minister’s deal would create a single EU-UK customs area to ensure there is no hard border on the island of Ireland.

This means the UK would continue to follow the EU’s tariffs and rules on customs, avoiding the need for checks between the EU and UK – including Northern Ireland and the Republic – until a new relationship is decided.

Northern Ireland would need to follow some of the EU’s single market rules – including laws on goods, agricultural production, veterinary controls and state aid rules.

It is this point that led many – including Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party and a number of Conservative backbenchers – to oppose the deal.

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A convicted scammer who claimed to be an Irish heiress and who is accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from several victims should be extradited to the United Kingdom, a federal court has ruled.

Marianne Smyth, who accusers say has also fashioned herself as a witch, a psychic and a friend to Hollywood stars, has been in a Maine jail waiting to learn if she will be extradited. She faces allegations that she stole more than $170,000 from the victims from 2008 to 2010 in Northern Ireland.

U.S. Magistrate Judge John Nivison ruled on Thursday that there is sufficient evidence to certify Smyth's extradition to the U.K. to face charges. Nivison wrote that Smyth will be in custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending a decision on extradition by Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

An attorney for Smyth, who has declined to comment in the past, did not respond to phone calls and emails on Thursday. The judge's ruling that Smyth should be extradited could help bring about the end of a bizarre saga in which victims have painted Smyth as a master of disguise and a veteran traveling grifter.

Smyth faces four counts of fraud by abuse of position under the U.K. Fraud Act of 2006, and four counts of theft in violation of Northern Ireland's Theft Act of 1969, Nivison wrote. Authorities overseas have said Smyth stole money that she had promised to invest and arranged to sell a victim a home but took the money. A court in Northern Ireland issued arrest warrants for her earlier this decade.

“The evidence presented regarding Ms. Smyth's interactions with and transactions involving the individuals ... is sufficient to sustain the four fraud charges and the four theft charges that are the subject of the extradition request,” Nivison wrote.

Smyth's case is similar in some respects to that of Anna Sorokin, a scammer who was convicted of paying for her lifestyle by impersonating a German heiress. Smyth's victims included Johnathan Walton, a podcaster who warned others of Smyth's grifts. Smyth was found guilty of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from Walton and spent about two years in jail.

The two had grown close in Los Angeles, and Smyth told Walton she was due an inheritance of $7 million from her wealthy Irish family, but Smyth's story began to fall apart when Walton learned she was jailed for stealing $200,000 from a travel agency she worked for. Walton used his podcast to gather tips from Smyth's other accusers. Some of those accusers said Smyth started a fake charity and others said she posed as everything from a cancer patient to Jennifer Aniston's best friend.

Smyth, who is in fact American, was found and arrested in Maine in February.

FILE - In a selfie taken in July 2014, Johnathan Walton poses with Marianne Smyth during a vacation in Palm Springs, Calif. (Johnathan Walton via AP, File)

FILE - In a December 2013 photo taken in Los Angeles, Johnathan Walton, and Marianne Smyth pose during her tree trimming Christmas party. Smyth was later found guilty of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from Walton as part of one of several scams she was accused of orchestrating. (Johnathan Walton via AP, File)