Second EU referendum now looms large after minister Amber Rudd admits that it is likely if MPs vote against May's deal

SIGNS that the UK may soon hold another referendum on the vexed issue of its membership if the European Union (EU) grew yesterday after works and pensions secretary Amber Rudd conceded that there could be a plausible argument for holding another plebiscite.

Following a vote to leave the EU in 2016, Britain has been negotiating severance terms but of late the process has hit a snag as the deal offered Britain is a far cry from what the Brexit campaigners wanted. By March 29 2019, Britain is now faced with a choice of accepting this deal or leaving the EU without any deal whatsoever.

Prime minister Theresa may has stalled in presenting the negotiated deal before parliament because it is obvious that a majority of parliamentarians will vote against it. Most MPs have asked her to present the negotiated deal to the public in the form of another referendum but Mrs May is reluctant to do this, fearful that the public will now vote to remain in the EU, scuppering the entire Brexit programme.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, ministers are now being forced to accept that a second referendum is now the only way out. despite Mrs May continuously rejecting this, Mrs Rudd conceded that the prospect of a second referendum is real, with her announcement attracting jubilation from pro-EU campaigners and derision from eurosceptics.

Mrs Rudd said: “I don’t want a people’s vote, or a referendum in general but if parliament absolutely failed to reach a consensus, I could see there would be a plausible argument for it. Now, it is incumbent on MPs to find the centre ground in parliament and to try to find whether the majority is there.”

According to Mrs Rudd, who opposed Brexit in the 2016 referendum, many of her colleagues in the governing Conservative Party were opposed to another vote. Eurosceptic Conservative MP Marcus Fysh has already reacted to her comments, tweeting that Mrs Rudd had poor judgement and it was not appropriate for her to be in the government.

Mrs May has repeatedly ruled out a second referendum, saying it would only cause more division and may not resolve the question. However, the main opposition Labour Party has accused her of running down the clock, to try to force MPs to back her deal rather than risk Britain leaving the EU with no arrangements in place.

Labour MP Owen Smith, who supports the anti-Brexit group Best for Britain, said Mr Rudd’s comments were a massive moment for their campaign. He added: “Amber Rudd may be the first Tory cabinet member to say she’d rather have a people’s vote than allow a catastrophic no-deal to unfold but she won’t be the last."