Remainer plot to seize Brexit and ‘deny EU Referendum result’ revealed as Dominic Grieve unveils amendment to stop No Deal
A GANG of rebel Remain MPs led by Tory Dominic Grieve is plotting to seize control of Brexit while trying to stop a No Deal result, it has been reported.
The group is planning to introduce a new amendment that would allow parliament to take the reins of the exit process, according to reports.
Europhile Grieve is working with other Remainers, including Labour rebels, to try and block the UK leaving the EU on March 29 without an agreement with Brussels.
They plan to put their motion to a vote in Parliament which if backed by 300 MPs could spark legislation to extend or revoke Article 50.
That would be considered highly controversial as it would challenge the unwritten constitution that only an elected majority government can control UK policy.
This bill would likely be backed by a majority in the Commons as most members of the house are against leaving the bloc without a deal.
'A VERY BRITISH COUP'
The rebel group are set to meet on Monday to finalise their plot which allies of the Prime Minister have branded a “very British coup”.
A senior parliamentary source told the plotters were attempting to overturn the historic referendum result.
They said: "This is another example of centuries of procedure being overturned to suit an agenda that denies the referendum result.”
This comes as Theresa May is set to reveal her Brexit Plan B next week – after her original withdrawal agreement was crushed in Parliament by a record-breaking 230 votes.
Rebel ringleader Grieve was among the 400 MPs who shot down the PM's deal with Brussels saying they wouldn't back it.
GANG OF REBEL REMAINERS
It meant May suffered the worst defeat in British political history - and the massive defeat sees the PM's rivals scrambling to take advantage.
This week, Grieve wrote in the : "As a strong believer that Brexit is a very damaging mistake that becomes more obvious every day, I see sound democratic reasons for asking the electorate to confirm what it wants to do.
"But in doing so I entirely accept that if the choice is to leave the EU then we must do so, and both choices are now implementable."
More than 50 MPs have publicly backed another Brexit vote, including former Tory ministers Justine Greening and Jo Johnson.
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Earlier in the debate, Grieve hit out at Geoffrey Cox, the attorney general, who asked MPs not backing the deal: "What are you playing at? What are you doing?"
Grieve replied: "Entertaining as it was … it filled me with a slight sense of gloom to see that the government had got to such a pass that it had to rely on the skills of a criminal defence advocate to get it out of its difficulties."
EU's Donald Tusk says Britain should scrap Brexit because a deal is now "impossible".
What is Article 50 of The Lisbon Treaty?
The Lisbon Treaty came into force on December 1, 2009, as the culmination of the EU's eight-year quest to make the organisation "more democratic, more transparent and more efficient".
It set out a number of rules and posts including the introduction of the EU Presidency, redistribution of voting weights of member states and Article 50.
Article 50 sets out the process of leaving the EU and states: "Any Member State may decide to withdraw from the Union in accordance with its own constitutional requirements."
It then goes on to say that a state wishing to withdraw will let the European Council know it intends to leave, which will "trigger" the article.
At this point, the Treaties that bound Britain to EU rules cease to apply and the terms of leaving will begin to be negotiated.
The law is not totally clear on wether it can be reversed once activated, but there are a few issues that could leave some wiggle room.
One primarily being if a "transitional" deal is not secured with the EU to temporarily cover the country's EU trade relations while the final deal is being brokered.
If the EU is unwilling to give the UK this deal, it would be an advantage for Mrs May to withdraw her request and then trigger it again - buying another two years of negotiations.
But Justice Secretary Liz Truss has said of Article 50 that it is her understanding "that it is irrevocable", while the UK Supreme Court said once the article is given "it cannot be withdrawn".
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