Constitutional experts Vernon Bogdanor and Lord Kerslake both agree that there is no way for Parliament to force a second referendum without a cooperative executive.
Professor Bogdanor confirms that as the Withdrawal Agreement is a treaty, Parliament can either ratify it or not. “A referendum amendment would have no effect on its own, to have a second referendum you need legislation which in 2015 took seven months to get through Parliament.”
Former Head of the Civil Service Lord Kerslake agrees, saying “there has to be, as Vernon says, legislation… the way forward has to come with the involvement and the agreement of Government.”
The only scenarios that could happen are those that Number 10 would be willing to entertain…
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