Brexit: No legal obstacle to holding second referendum, says UK leader

Lord Karan Bilimoria said that the outcome of the referendum should be based on a two-thirds majority

There is no legal obstacle in holding a second referendum on whether Britain should exit from European Union (EU), according to Lord Karan Bilimoria, who said that Article 50 cannot be triggered until Parliament votes on it.

"The June 24 referendum was advisory, and pro-remain MPs outnumber leave backers in the house of Commons by 3:1 and in the House of Lords by far more," Lord Bilimoria, founder chairman of the Cobra Beers said during a debate on the outcome of the EU Referendum in the House of Lords.

"There is now a strong legal case, as we have heard, that Article 50 (the process to commence Britain's exit from EU)cannot be triggered until Parliament votes on it. Here is a conundrum: with the lies, the deceit, the treachery and the turmoil that has been caused, will a responsible Parliament affirm the 52:48 referendum result built on such shaky ground?" he said.

Stating that the outcome of the referendum should be based on a two-thirds majority, Lord Bilimoria said, "With hindsight – this point has not been brought up by anybody – a decision as important as this should have had a two-thirds hurdle. Changing the fixed-term Parliament in the other place needs a two-thirds majority. To change the Indian Constitution, you need a two-thirds majority. There would then have been a definitive result."

As for the Opposition, he said Jeremy Corbyn (Opposition leader) has been absolutely useless as a leader, and his role in the referendum was pathetic.

"That could have changed the whole picture — and now look at the turmoil the Labour Party is in. On top of all this, we have 4 million people signing a petition asking for a second referendum. There is no legal obstacle to holding a second referendum and a general election could even be treated as a proxy second referendum on the issue," he said.