Former diplomat Lord Kerr intends to say that Prime Minister Theresa May is making a "political decision" on the UK’s withdrawal from the EU and will also call on the government to release legal papers proving that Brexit can be easily stopped, The Independent reported.
According to the newspaper, in a speech on Friday, Lord Kerr will say: "The fact is that a political decision has been made, in this country, to maintain that there can be no going back. Actually, the country still has a free choice about whether to proceed."
In recent weeks, pressure has been mounting on the government to publish legal documents it has received, that are believed to prove that Article 50 can still be reversed. Asked about this possibility, ministers, however, have argued that the government has no intention of putting a stop to the procedure.
According to the former diplomat, the British people have the right to know that "there is nothing in Article 50" to prevent the government from stopping Brexit.
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The news comes as the new round of Brexit talks has kicked off in Brussels, but with no indication that a breakthrough is possible in the near future on the early issues such as Britain’s EU exit bill, EU citizens’ rights and the Irish border. London and Brussels, however, hope to reach a consensus on these issues by the end of the year.
Brexit secretary David Davis said Thursday that the British government will propose an amendment to its bill on the UK’s pullout from the European Union to set the exact date of departure. In an earlier article for the Daily Telegraph, Prime Minister May warned lawmakers against attempts to slow down or stop the exit process.
In a British referendum on June 23, 2016, about 51.9 percent of voters said "yes" to their country leaving the EU.