Revoking Article 50 and scrapping Brexit could be only way to escape Theresa May’s ‘car crash’, George Osborne says

‘The only break-glass-in-an-emergency option that exists is to revoke Article 50 – because that is the only thing Britain can do by itself’

Revoking Article 50 and scrapping Brexit altogether could be the only way to escape the “car crash” created by Theresa May, George Osborne has said.

The former chancellor sided with the astonishing 4 million people who have signed an online petition, saying: “That’s the emergency stop button.”

Mr Osborne, who was sacked by the prime minister in 2016, said his preference was for a “long delay” to Brexit, allowing the UK to “rethink how to deliver on the referendum result”.

But he said Ms May herself had put revoking the exit notice on the agenda with her disastrous Downing Street statement, appearing to pave the way for the “vandalism” of a no-deal Brexit.

“Suddenly this moment came when it looked like the prime minister was taking us out of the EU without a deal in just seven days’ time,” Mr Osborne said.

“At that point, the only break-glass-in-an-emergency option that exists is to revoke Article 50 – because that is the only thing Britain can do by itself and it doesn’t need the consent of the EU.

“That’s why millions of people started signing up to that online petition. What it revealed to me, and I think to the country, as the fog of Brexit cleared, is that’s the emergency stop button.”

Mr Osborne, now the editor of the London Evening Standard, also branded Ms May “prime minister in name only” – while declining to say whether she should quit.

“She can’t tell ministers how to vote, she can’t sum up her own cabinet meetings and she’s got no majority in parliament, so it feels like she’s running out of road,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

This week, Ms May went back to threatening no-deal if the Commons again throws out her agreement, despite previously admitting the outcome would cause huge damage.

The motive appeared to be to terrify Labour MPs into voting for her deal when she makes a third and final bid to pass it next week.

However, overnight, the prime minister cast doubt on whether the vote will go ahead, telling MPs she would pull it if clearly heading for another huge defeat.

“If it appears that there is not sufficient support to bring the deal back next week, or the house rejects it again, we can ask for another extension before 12 April – but that will involve holding European parliament elections,” she said in a letter.

“If it appears that there is sufficient support and the speaker permits it, we can bring the deal back next week and if it is approved we can leave on 22 May. Nadhim Zahawi, an education minister, warned of a “political meltdown” if Brexit is delayed further and suggested he – and Ms May herself – would quit the government.

“Parliament would have failed. Each and every one of us will have to ask ourselves the question, ‘Am I prepared to go back to my constituents and say we’re not leaving the EU, we’re going to go for a much longer extension, and we’re going to take part in the European elections?’

“I’m not prepared to do that. I don’t think the prime minister is prepared to do that.”