Shadow International Trade Secretary Barry Gardiner has warned that another referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU could result in “civil disobedience” and disruption, urging the government not to back out of Brexit.
Gardiner, who also serves as an MP for the Labour Party, went on to say that a fresh vote could aid far-right candidates and parties, as many Brits are likely to feel cheated by the democratic system.
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"If people want to be able to achieve change through democratic means, if they feel that that is being denied to them, they then turn to other more socially disruptive ways of expressing their views, and that is the danger here," Gardiner told BBC Radio 4’s Today program on Tuesday.
He acknowledged that there will be some financial disadvantages to Brits as a result of Brexit, in the short to medium term, but said the government has seemingly already decided to proceed with leaving the bloc.
The campaign’s petition has already received over 600,000 signatures, but, for now, the UK is continuing withdrawal negotiations with Brussels and is poised to formally withdraw from the union in less than eight months.
With negotiations so far failing to agree on a number of key components of Britain’s post-Brexit relationship and trading arrangement with the EU, the prospect of a hard Brexit is looking increasingly likely, though the UK government is keen to avoid such a scenario.
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