Goldman Sachs keeps Brexit bets unchanged after UK parliament takes control

Reuters
FILE PHOTO: Flags flutter outside the Houses of Parliament, ahead of a Brexit vote, in London, Britain March 13, 2019. REUTERS/Tom Jacobs/File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs stuck to its estimates of Brexit outcomes on Tuesday after British lawmakers voted late Monday to seize control of the parliamentary agenda for a day to break the impasse in Britain's tortuous exit from the European Union.

Although Adrian Paul, European economist at the U.S. bank, said he was sceptical the "indicative votes" planned for Wednesday would prove conclusive, he said they may pave the way for a softer Brexit.

"Many of the options most likely to succeed point towards a "softer Brexit" than currently envisaged by the Prime Minister," he said.

The likelihood of a general election has climbed in recent days, he added, but the probability of fundamental outcomes of Brexit was unchanged.

Goldman Sachs sees a 15 percent chance that the UK leaves the EU without a deal, a 35 percent chance that the UK's decision to leave the EU is overturned, and a 50 percent chance that lawmakers eventually coalesce around a close variant of the current EU withdrawal agreement.

(Reporting by Helen Reid; editing by Josephine Mason)