Latvian expert says Brexit might be put on hold

RIGA - In the event the British Parliament votes down the Brexit deal, postponing the UK’s exit from the European Union (EU), which is now scheduled for March 29, might be one of the most realistic scenarios, Andris Spruds, director of the Latvian Institute of International Affairs, said in an interview with Latvian Television on Thursday.

Although a new referendum on Brexit is now more likely than ever before, calling such a popular vote would be “madness” on the part of British politicians, especially because very little time has been left until March 29, Spruds said.

“I think that one of the options is to put [Brexit] on hold,” the expert said. In the current stage, it is still possible to “push the delay button” because nobody wants an emergency to arise. “It would be bad for us all. It would mean a certain slowdown of trade and mutual relations,” the expert said.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday that the delayed vote on the Brexit deal in Parliament would take place in the third week of January, which starts January 14. The vote will be held more than a month after the originally scheduled date and just ten weeks before March 29 when the UK is expected to leave the EU.