'Genuine No Deal WTO Option' Would Win in a 2nd Referendum - Leave Campaigner

Former professional Conservative Party Agent and North  Dorset UKIP parliamentary candidate, Steve Unwin, told Sputnik what a potential second referendum would mean for Britain.

"If it ends up in a second referendum, no doubt they will rig the questions (to remove the majority "Leave" option from the ballot paper) to "Remain" or "Withdrawal Agreement Remain" as the only options. If they have a genuine "no deal" WTO deal option on the ballot paper Leave will win again, but by a bigger margin."

The UK government may face the option of a second Brexit referendum, if their Brexit withdrawal agreement is struck down by the parliament.

On Tuesday, as MPs prepared to open five days of debate on the Brexit deal, the government suffered a defeat over the amendment proposed by Tory MP Dominic Grieve.  

In a 321 to 299 vote, Grieve's proposal to ensure that MPs have a say in what happens next if Theresa May's Brexit deal is rejected, was backed on December 4.

If the Cabinet is unsuccessful, it must return to the House of Commons within 21 days of the vote and "make a statement setting out how Her Majesty's government proposes to proceed".

Assessing the current Brexit deal, Mr. Grieve said on Wednesday that the PM did her very best to put together a deal.

"The deal has inherent flaws in it, which are the result of the UK's position and the problems of trying to ensure a good economic future for us. If that's what people want — so be it. But in my view, it should be put to the public with the alternative of remaining in the EU because the truth is, it is a third rate outcome compared to EU membership," he added.

He suggested it would "ignore the mandate from the biggest exercise in popular democracy the UK has ever seen at their peril."

As the government published the Legal Advice on the current Brexit agreement, the opposition to the deal, spearheaded by the Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland, accused Theresa May of proposing a "totally unacceptable" deal.

Mr. Unwin argued that given that the "Conservative government rely on the support of the DUP to prop their overall government up" the proposal for Northern Ireland to retain membership of the customs union and the EU single market is "likely to fail."