Britain should revert to EU member if Theresa May fails to get deal, SNP says

An amendment will be proposed to the Article 50 bill

Theresa May (Getty)

Britain should revert to remaining in the EU if the Government fails to negotiate a deal with the bloc within its planned two-year timeframe, the Scottish National Party has said.

Under EU treaties Britain would crash out of the bloc and trade revert to WTO rules if not deal is done within 24 months of Article 50 being triggered – a period expected to commence by the end of March.

The SNP is however planning to table an amendment to the Government’s Article 50 Bill that would change the terms of the legislation and instead keep Britain inside the EU.

The Government was forced to bring forward the bill – expected to be published as soon as this week – after the UK Supreme Court said it would have to give Parliament a vote on whether to trigger Article 50.

The nationalists’ plan could be very difficult to implement, however, as to extend Britain’s membership of the bloc once Article 50 is triggered would require a unanimous vote of all EU countries under existing EU treaties. Parliament does not have the power to change EU treaties.

SNP MP Joanna Cherry denied the SNP’s plan to introduce 50 amendments to the Article 50 bill amount to “wrecking”.

“If you present the deal to Parliament after the two year agreement has expired. If we don’t reach an agreement we’re out on our ear anyway after Article 50,” she told Sky News on Wednesday afternoon.

“The SNP will seek the amendment the legislation to get the British government to agree with the European Commission that if the British Parliament doesn’t ratify a deal before the end of the two-year deal we fall back on the existing terms of our EU membership – rather than fall into the void that Theresa May seems to be able to let us fall into.

“It wouldn’t unravel the referendum, it would preserve our position while we continue to negotiate.”

Labour have said they will not vote against article 50 but have threatened to amend it. The SNP have threatened to vote against the bill and said they will table as many as 50 amendments.

The Lib Dems have said they will vote against the trigger unless a second referendum on the terms of the deal is pledged.