How Brexit could be reversed after the election - if the Tories lose

While it’s looking unlikely that the Tories will be defeated in the forthcoming general election, the possibility is real – and if this happens, the consequences for Brexit could be immense.

There is room for Britain to change its mind during the two-year negotiation process, and in the weeks since Article 50 was triggered, much has been said of what can be done to undo it.

According to a leaked European Parliament resolution, the UK is able to revoke Article 50 before it expires in 2019.

The document states: “Whereas a revocation of a notification needs to be subject to conditions set by all EU-27 so they cannot be used as a procedural device or abused in an attempt to improve the actual terms of the United Kingdom’s membership.”

Lord Kerr, Article 50’s author, has already been quoted as saying that it is revocable, telling the BBC: “You can change your mind while it’s all going on”.

He confirmed this explicitly in the House of Lords earlier this month, saying: “When the government says as a matter of policy that they will not withdraw the notification … they implicitly confirm that in law they could withdraw it and they could. It is revocable.”

Would the remaining 27 EU states vote to let us back in, though? It seems likely that they would – given the opportunity to do so.

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The election could be the last chance for those who wish to remain within the EU, as ousting the Conservative government by voting tactically is their best bet for success.

But with the first poll of voting intentions since the election announcement predicting a 48% share of the vote for the Tories, compared to 24% for Labour, their chances of turning around public opinion by June 8 look slim, however.