Brexit has a ‘50-50’ chance of being stopped: UK trade minister

Britain's Trade Secretary Liam Fox believes there is a “50-50” chance that Britain would cancel its decision to leave the European Union if the parliament rejects a divorce deal signed with the EU.

Fox, a leading supporter of leaving the EU, said Sunday that the current political situation in London meant that Brexit had an even chance for cancellation and survival.

“If we were not to vote for that, I’m not sure I would give it (Brexit) much more than 50-50,” Fox told the Sunday Times newspaper, without elaborating on what mechanism the government will seek to scrap Brexit.

The comments come as Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to put her Brexit deal to a vote in the House of Commons in mid-January.

May delayed an original vote planned for earlier this month as she faced growing criticism from across the political spectrum about the deal. However, many believe the agreement, signed off in an EU summit last month, has a little chance of going through the Parliament.

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May has repeatedly said that Brexit will be delayed or cancelled if the Commons rejects the agreement. Both she and the EU have touted the deal as the only and best option available for Britain.

For cancelling Brexit, Britain will need to revoke its decision in 2016 to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, a move that a European court ruled in early December that would be possible without a need for gaining the approval of other EU members.

The rejection of May’s Brexit deal also raises the prospect of Britain’s disorderly departure from the EU on March 29, 2019.

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