The Apprentice host, Lord Alan Sugar, backed the possibility of an argument to void the Brexit vote.
"If it can be concluded that the public were misled," Lord Sugar believes the 2016 referendum on Britain's membership of the EU could be annulled.
He argued that in business, before sending out a prospectus to shareholders, the management would ensure the comments and forecasts are legally and economically sound. Lord Sugar then proceeded to argue that this was not the case with the Leave campaign in the run up to the July 2016 vote.
"…it should follow that those people who will be responsible for putting this country into 5-10 years of post-Brexit turmoil based on lies, should be imprisoned or at least prosecuted. Such as Boris Johnson and Michael Gove for the £350m lie on the red bus," Lord Sugar told the House of Lords.
Members of Parliament Michael Gove and Boris Johnson, the key figures behind the Leave campaign, supported arguments against the EU, warned of an influx of migrants putting more pressure on UK public services, and suggested that the National Health Service would benefit from the 350 million in freed up EU cash.
One of the biggest shocks came just hours after the announcement was made that the Leave campaign had won, when the then UKIP leader Nigel Farage, said that he could not guarantee that the US$463 million that had previously been given to the EU each week, would now be used for the NHS.
Lord Sugar posted the full text of his address to the House of Lords on Twitter. Reactions to his arguments poured in from commentators, some of whom disagreed with the business tycoon.
One of them argued that both the Leave and Remain campaigns have failed.
I've never thought Remain lied, but I am happy for someone to prove me wrong, I just think they were absolutely useless at communicating the actual state of affairs after we leave. Leave campaign lied on the side of a bus and some rather provocative billboards. Both were shit!
— ian sargent (@sargie12) October 25, 2018
Another who thinks everyone who voted leave the EU were all on medication at the same time whilst being brainwashed by the reincarnation of the Moonies cult. I think all of us who voted leave, knew what we voted for and would do again and again.
— chris warwick (@chris_waz) October 25, 2018
I don't feel mislead. Both sides of the argument lied and embellished and the media joined in with over dramatic stories of Armageddon. I think you're underestimating the way intelligence of the British people if you think a figure on the side of a bus swayed the majority
— Terry Murphy (@luckytezza) October 25, 2018
It's still not the truth though, is it? The EU costs the UK no-where near £350 million a week.
— Simon Haytack (@simonhaytack) October 25, 2018
First time I've agreed with you, but, if voters were stupid enough to believe Johnson and Gove more fool them. I was remain but we've had a vote, it was to leave, it's done, time to just get on with it.
— Lee 🏴 (@LAASummers) October 26, 2018
Lord Sugar concluded his speech by calling on a second vote — on the Brexit deal itself, an idea that many Labour and some Conservative MPs have recently championed.
"I seriously believe the public were misled and for that reason I support the idea of a vote by the public to agree the final negotiated terms. The detail put forward to the public should be in the form of a simple bullet point document spelling out the ramifications and meaning of the negotiations. It should be approved by an independent due diligence and validation process to ensure the explanation is truthful," Lord Sugar said.
There is no legal framework for the process of conducting the second referendum or for the EU's role in such vote. However, several possible scenarios have been recently outlined by the Constitution Unit at the University College London (UCL).
READ MORE: If 2nd Brexit Referendum Takes Place, This is How It's Gonna Go Down
British PM Theresa May has however ruled out a second referendum saying "we had the people's vote and the people chose to leave."
My speech at the Conservative Party Conference — #CPC18 https://t.co/0t70Rqq7fi
— Theresa May (@theresa_may) October 3, 2018
