The pound on Tuesday touched its lowest level against the dollar since 1985, excluding a brief "flash crash" in 2016 that may have been caused by technical glitches, as international investors fret over a political showdown over
Brexit this week.
The
British currency fell as low as $1.1960, down almost a cent on the day before recovering somewhat to $1.2050.
Brexit is facing a crucial few days as lawmakers challenge Prime Minister Boris Johnson's insistence that the U.K. will leave the
European Union on Oct. 31 even without a deal.