Sir John Curtice: Brexit Will NOT Happen On 29th March

13 March 2019, 07:54 | Updated: 13 March 2019, 09:06

Professor John Curtice told LBC that the UK has no chance of leaving the EU on 29th March - even if the Prime Minister does manage to agree a deal.

The political scientist, who accurately predicted the EU Referendum and 2017 General Election, believes there will be a delay, possibly well into 2020.

Speaking to Nick Ferrari, Sir John said: "There isn't a vote in this parliament for going without a deal. If this government were going to attempt to get out of the European Union without a deal, it would lose a vote of no confidence.

"I have been of the opinion for a considerable amount of time that we are not leaving on 29th March. Even if Mrs May comes back to the House of Commons again next week and somehow manages to get it through, we tend to forget she has to get the legislation to get the deal through not just the House of Commons, but the House of Lords, which is not exactly leave-inclined.

"So the honest truth is that we're not leaving on 29th March.

"The question now is whether we're leaving by 22nd May, or whether we're going to go for a much longer extension and Nigel Farage will get his chance to fight the European elections.

"It may well be well into 2020 before there is a prospect of us leaving.

"In the meantime, either through a General Election or an EU referendum, we may or may not have had second thoughts."

Asked which he considered more likely, the political scientist responded: "At the moment, another General Election is the more likely option, because I don't think the votes are there in the House of Commons for a second EU referendum.

"But a General Election will only happen if the government collapses."