His call for a second referendum echoes those of a former senior British minister who has also demanded another vote to solve a parliamentary stalemate on Brexit, saying Prime Minister Theresa May’s proposals for new ties with the European Union were a “fudge that satisfied no one.”
Justine Greening, former education secretary who quit the UK government in January, said May’s negotiating strategy would neither please those who wanted a clean break with the EU nor those who opposed Brexit altogether. May has ruled out a rerun of the 2016 vote in which Britons voted 52-48 per cent to leave the bloc.
Greening’s call comes after another Conservative resigned on Monday as a parliamentary private secretary over May’s Brexit plan. Scott Mann, MP for North Cornwall, who was a PPS to the Treasury team, says he was not prepared to accept a “watered down Brexit”.
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Elsewhere, May faced a concerted rebellion on Monday from the hard Brexit wing of the Conservative party as MPs unhappy with her Chequers compromise prepared to mount a show of strength by voting for their amendments on the customs bill.
The party’s European research group said it will reject any last attempts at compromise by the Prime Minister as they hope to force her to change course over Brexit or risk a no-confidence vote before the summer break by demonstrating the depth of their support.
Aside from the latest Brexit developments, Martin, a veteran Socialist MEP, said the time is ripe for a second referendum; “The general election proves there is no appetite for a hard Brexit - and now is the perfect time to change our minds.
“After Theresa May’s disastrous election gamble, it is clear the British public have rejected her plans for an extreme job-destroying Brexit. MPs are now scrambling to find a softer option that includes staying in the free trade area.
“However, once the sad reality of this Norway-type deal becomes clear, who is to say the people won’t change their minds again? The option of remaining in the EU must be put back on the table.”
Martin said, “The EU’s economy, unlike ours, is starting to look up, and with the defeat of the eurosceptics in Holland and France there is a renewed swagger across the channel. Let us join our closest allies once again and forget this sorry period in British history.
“Of course, after Article 50 was triggered in the House of Commons back in March, the timer has already been set. Each tick brings us closer to the cliff edge. Lawyers are already bickering about whether we could turn around or not. What is clear is that it if we could change our minds, it would require the ok of 27 other EU governments.”
He added, “But would they really say no to their third biggest member returning to the club, genuinely remorseful and with a renewed, positive attitude? What a political win that would be from their perspective - strengthening the EU for decades more.
“Obviously, in a choice between a bad Brexit and one that’s even worse, the bad Brexit wins out. But these are not the only two options. The people changed their minds on Theresa May, why not on Brexit too?
Meanwhile, calling the public to support the government’s Brexit plan published in a White Paper last week, May wrote in the Mail on Sunday, “I am yet to see a workable alternative future trading arrangement that would deliver on our commitments to Northern Ireland, preserve the constitutional integrity of the UK and deliver on the result of the referendum. So I believe we need to come together behind our plan.”
She added, “My message to the country this weekend is simple: we need to keep our eyes on the prize. If we don’t, we risk ending up with no Brexit at all.”