Brexit: Jeremy Corbyn refuses to rule out revoking Article 50 to stop no-deal

Move could be only way to prevent no-deal Brexit

Jeremy Corbyn has refused to rule out revoking Article 50 as a last resort in order to stop a no-deal Brexit.

The Labour leader said he would not entertain “hypotheticals” when asked twice about revocation during a visit to meet EU leaders in Brussels.

“These are hypotheticals. So far as we’re concerned, we think there’s an urgency in constructing a majority for an agreeable solution and that’s what we’re concentrating on at the moment,” he said when asked about the move.

Asked again, he replied: “We think that what we’re proposing can be achieved in the British parliament ... we do believe we can construct a majority which will prevent the crashing out and all the chaos that will come from crashing out.”

A Labour spokesperson later confirmed the party’s position: “As we have always said, we respect the result of the referendum and will do whatever is necessary to prevent a no-deal outcome. We do not believe that revoking Article 50 is in any way necessary.”

Mr Corbyn visited the de facto EU capital on Thursday at the same time as Theresa May, meeting with senior European Commission officials like Michel Barnier and Martin Selmayr. He also met with senior centre-left prime ministers at their pre-summit gathering.

Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable, who is also in the EU capital, told The Independent that he would prefer a new referendum to revoking Article 50, but that MPs “may” have to go ahead with a revocation as a last resort.

“It’s a last resort. We prefer a referendum than revocation,” he said. “But if that isn’t possible, parliamentarians may need to revoke article 50 in order to protect the country from no deal.”

The European Court of Justice ruled last year that Britain could unilaterally revoke Article 50 – effectively ending the Brexit process and keeping the UK in the EU until it was triggered again. A mere extension to the negotiating period, however, requires the consent of the other 27 EU member states.

Britain will leave the EU if the Article 50 period is allowed to expire – with or without a deal in place.

MPs have voted in principle against a no-deal Brexit, but the government will have to have to find a way to avert one: either by getting a deal in place, extending the Article 50 deadline, or revoking Article 50 entirely.

Revoking Article 50 has been a little-discussed option in the Brexit process so far. The idea has, however, been given a boost in recent days, after an online petition backing the move hit around 900,000 signatures and climbing, as of early on Thursday afternoon.

Arriving at Thursday’s European Council meeting in Brussels Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar said a no-deal would “only ever be a British choice” because the UK has the power to revoke Article 50.