The Maltese government will be pronouncing itself on its plans for a possible no-deal Brexit in the coming days, a government spokespersons told The Malta Independent, but would not provide any details at this time.

British lawmakers had overwhelmingly rejected UK Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal with the European Union on Tuesday, with 432 votes against the government and 202 in support. She managed to beat a vote of no confidence the very next day however, 325 votes to 306 votes. This situation has left many in the dark, not knowing what is going to happen next, what kind of deal - if any - would be struck, and some hoping that another referendum would take place.

Following this whole situation, international news reports read that EU countries were stepping up preparations for a disorderly British exit, and one must ask, what effects this will have on Malta and is the island prepared.

In light of this situation, concerns of a no-deal Brexit are have risen. This newsroom sent a number of questions to the Maltese government, ones related to what agreements Malta would want to sign with the UK in a no-deal Brexit scenario, what the economic effect on Malta would be, Whether Malta would seek a deal with the UK over Maltese residents living in the UK and UK residents living in Malta, what would happen with regards to Maltese seeking health treatment in the UK, questions regarding travel requirements to and from the UK, as well as questions related to students studying in the UK.

The Maltese government however, remained tight-lipped at this stage. "The Government has been following the Brexit negotiations and preparing for various scenarios. In the wake of the UK Parliament rejection of the negotiated EU-UK exit agreement, the government stepped up its preparations for a no-deal scenario. In the next days, the government will be pronouncing itself on its plans for a possible no-deal Brexit," the government spokesperson's response read.

Last November, EU Affairs Minister Helena Dall told The Malta Independent that Malta is prepared for a no-deal Brexit scenario. Asked by this newsroom last November, how a no-deal Brexit would affect Malta, Dalli said that the effect would have to be looked at on a sector by sector basis, with elements such as human rights and businesses being but two of the sectors that would obviously be affected by the divorce. Dalli had said that "nobody wants a no-deal situation" to happen, but that Malta is prepared and that she had given a presentation on Malta's preparedness for a no-deal Brexit to the committee of European foreign affairs back then. On Maltese citizens living in Britain, Dalli had said that the first priority had always been to secure measures for Maltese citizens living in Great Britain and for British citizens living in Malta.