‘UK can still change its mind on Brexit’

LONDON (Reuters) — British Prime Minister Theresa May should stop misleading voters and admit that Brexit can be avoided if Britain decides unilaterally to scrap divorce talks, the man who drafted Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty said on Friday.

May, who formally notified the European Union of Britain’s intention to leave the EU by triggering Article 50 of the treaty on March 29, said she would not tolerate any attempt in parliament to block Brexit.

By triggering Article 50, May set the clock ticking on a two-year exit process that has so far failed to yield a divorce deal and which was interrupted by her gamble on a snap election in June, which cost her party its majority in parliament.

“While the divorce talks proceed, the parties are still married. Reconciliation is still possible,” John Kerr, British ambassador to the EU from 1990 to 1995, said in a speech in London.

“We can change our minds at any stage during the process,” said Kerr, who added that the legalities of Article 50 had been misrepresented in Britain. “The British people have the right to know this: they shouldn’t be misled.”

The day May triggered Article 50, she told the British parliament there was “no turning back” and insisted that the United Kingdom would leave the EU at 2300 GMT on March 29, 2019.

Brexit supporters argue any attempt to halt the exit process would be anti-democratic, while opponents say the country should have a right to pass final judgment on any exit deal negotiated.