A hard Brexit was never up for contention, but the stiff knock it has received could not be said to have been anticipated.

The latest blow to dent the process is the possible failure of leaving the European Economic Area. The drive to keep the UK inside the European Economic Area (EEA) has received a substantial boost as it has emerged that ministers are unclear over the exact procedure for leaving the long standing economic policy.

A letter from the former Brexit minister George Bridges, published last week, shows confusion within Whitehall over whether or not Britain needs to formally terminate its membership. The letter seems to cast a beam of excitement on Remain campaigners who are hell-bent to argue in court that Mrs May does not have the legal authority to quit the EEA by triggering Article 127.

Express News reports Britain’s membership of the economic club is technically tied to a separate treaty (the EEA agreement) compelling Government to decide the necessity to exit both bodies independently.

If leaving the EEA were to be put to a vote, as some Labour MPs are now advocating, it is far from clear that the prime minister would be able to morph enough support to win. The report emphasized.

In the said letter, Mr Bridges, who resigned earlier this year but replaced by Steve Banker, expressed significant doubt on whether the Government needs to adopt formal legislation to exit the EEA.

He wrote further, “Once we leave the EU, the EEA Agreement will no longer be relevant for the UK. It will have no practical effect. We are considering what steps, if any, might need to be taken to formally terminate the EEA Agreement as a matter of international law.”

Editor