PM May shoots down prospect of another referendum
LONDON:PRIME Minister Theresa May and her ministers played down reports on Sunday that contingency plans were being made to hold a second referendum as a way out of the Brexit impasse.
May and former prime minister Tony Blair were locked in a war of words, with the latter calling for another referendum.
May, who strongly opposed Blair’s stance, said, “For Tony Blair to go to Brussels and seek to undermine our negotiations by advocating for a second referendum is an insult to the office he once held and the people he once served.”
Later, Blair responded to May’s remarks, saying it was “not irresponsible or insulting to put forward an alternative way to achieve resolution” since it was “perfectly clear neither the British people nor their Parliament will unite behind the prime min- ister’s deal”.
He said, “I understand her frustration... I believe the course she is pursuing will not work and is emphatically not in the national interest. And that’s the reason I am speaking out.”
May’s ministers insisted that there cannot be another referen- dum.
International trade secretary Liam Fox argued that if another Brexit vote were to be held, then why should Scotland be prevented from having another vote on independence? Scotland had voted 55%-45% to remain in the UK in the 2014 referendum.