Article 50 ways to leave...

THERE’S a chance, a very slim and ever so faint one, that Brexit could bestopped.

But it hinges on whether Article 50, which triggered the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, is reversible.

Former US ambassador and EU diplomat Lord Kerr says it is – and he wrote it before Brexit was even a twinkle in Boris Johnson’s eye.

But Theresa May won’t allow legal advice she received from Government lawyers to be made public, which is suspicious.

Lord Kerr told peers: “There’s no legal basis for the view that notification cannot be unilaterally withdrawn.”

And EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier says it can, if the other 27 member states agree.

European Parliament President Antonio Tajani adds: “If the UK wanted to stay, everybody would be in favour.”

Others claim the status of Article 50 would have to be decided by the European Court of Justice, which Brexiteers want nothing to do with.

The PM professes to believe in openness, saying: “The sunlight of transparency acts as an important check and balance.” Social media analysts Talkwalker say comments on Brexit last year were 52 per cent negative, while a YouGov poll last week showed 80 per cent of Labour Party members would favour a second referendum.

But the British people clearly voted to leave so it’s unlikely Brexit will be halted. Yet they may want the option to change their minds when the full implications are known in October.

That’s why the PM should allow the sunlight of transparency to shine on the legal advice she received so we’ll know if that’s possible.