BREXIT PLAN B

1 SECOND TIME LUCKY

The Government could try again, re-submitting the agreement to Parliament after tweaking it. EU leaders insist the agreement cannot be reopened. The EU would likely be more receptive to a softer Brexit deal that saw Britain remain part of the bloc’s single market. Prime Minister Theresa May says she will never agree to such a plan.

2 DELAY BRITAIN’S EXIT

Britain might seek an extension to the two-year exit process that is due to expire on March 29. Some ministers are urging May to delay Brexit and then consult MPs to see if a majority can be found for a new plan. Some MPs are exploring ways to use parliamentary rules to gain control of the Brexit process. A delay would likely also be needed for a general election, or a second referendum. Any delay would require unanimous approval from leaders of the EU’s remaining 27 member states.

3 HOLD AN ELECTION

May has vowed to carry on and she can’t be evicted as leader after a failed no-confidence party vote in her leadership by Conservative MPs. The Labour Party tried overnight to trigger an election by calling a no-confidence vote in the Government.

4 SECOND REFERENDUM

The campaign to revisit Brexit in a second referendum — driven largely by supporters of the losing “remain” side last time around — has been gathering steam as the pitfalls and complexity of the divorce process become clear. The Government is firmly opposed, but has warned that it is increasingly likely that the decision to leave the EU could be reversed if May’s deal is rejected.

5 NO DEAL

It is the outcome few want — but it is also the default option. If the divorce deal is not approved, altered or put on hold, Britain will cease to be an EU member on March 29. The Bank of England has warned that tumbling out of the bloc with no deal to soften the exit could plunge Britain into its deepest recession in nearly a century.