Article 50 author: ‘Crisis is looming’

Lord Kerr of Kinlochard, a former head of the diplomatic service, made the comments as the People’s Vote campaign released a roadmap to a second referendum.

The report argues the March 29, 2019, deadline for Brexit could easily be delayed to make time for a vote to be held.

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‘More than two years since the 2016 referendum, a political, economic and possibly constitutional crisis is gathering across the United Kingdom,’ Lord Kerr said.

‘Our view is that the most viable and democratic way of resolving it is to allow the public to have their say on Brexit. To deny them a voice challenges the basic principle of informed consent.’

And he warned: ‘History will not, in our opinion, be kind to any politician who hides behind purely logistical arguments, legalese or arcane parliamentary procedure in order to deny people a vote on the outcome of these Brexit negotiations at such a fragile and crucial moment for our country.’

With opinion polls regularly finding a majority of voters now think the UK made the wrong decision to Leave in 2016, the People’s Vote report said it was not too late to ‘think again’ about Brexit.

Drawn up by a cross-party committee including pro-EU MPs, peers and MEPs from Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Greens, the roadmap outlined several possible routes to a fresh referendum, but said others may emerge as events develop.

Possible routes to a second referendum include MPs using parliament to force another vote or even the prime minister changing her mind in a bid to avoid the crisis of no deal.

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