Prime Minister Theresa May has today said her Brexit Withdrawal Agreement Bill (which will go to the Commons early June) will include a vote by MPs on whether to hold a second referendum.
If May's Withdrawal Agreement Bill is rejected again, she said that 'leaving the EU with a negotiated deal will be dead in the water.' So the pressure is now on for the Commons to agree to it in order to avoid a possibly shambolic no deal Brexit.
Responding to the speech, Helen Dickinson OBE, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), (pictured), said, “The blunt truth is that there is still no clear path out of the current political deadlock. If we are to make progress then politicians need to step up to the plate.
'It is not enough to say they are against no deal, they must use their votes in Parliament to find a deal that prevents this looming catastrophe. Once a deal is passed, the Government must then work toward a trade deal that provides for frictionless, tariff-free trade with the EU.'
Dickinson continued, “A no deal Brexit in October would present the worst of all worlds for our high streets and those who shop there.
'Retailers will be preparing for Christmas, stretching already limited warehousing capacity, and the UK will be importing the majority of its fresh food from the EU, magnifying the impact of border delays.”