Heated discussions have been going on for more than two years. After last month’s march for a ‘People’s Vote’, the depth and breadth of our discontent became clear. More and more people, having lost faith prime minister Theresa May, are suggesting a second referendum.
But could a second referendum even be an option?
According to the Financial Times the two main parties have completely different views on the matter. The Conservative Party is against it, as the prime minister insists the British people expressed their desire to leave and that is what must happen. On the other hand, the Labour Party, in case a deal is not reached, would either opt for a new election or a referendum.
Although he has supported the idea of a second referendum in the past, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn stated it wouldn’t help the current unstable situation. He suggested a referendum could be an option in the future but not right at this moment.
Maybe not now, but at sometime in the future how would a second referendum take place? BBC News states that a new referendum would follow just about the same steps as the previous one. Time would be needed for the legislation to pass through Parliament, and there would be a period set aside for another round of campaigning. In short, setting up a second referendum would take some months and by that time the UK could be out of the EU already. The only way to avoid that would be to extend the Article 50 deadline, which entails a further set of complications.
When everything is considered, a second referendum is just about possible; but highly complex and quite risky – just like every other course of action!
The summit this coming Sunday may bring clarity…or more doubts about Brexit. Once again, we must patiently wait.