UK trade minister says '50-50' chance Brexit may be stopped: paper

Reuters
Britain's Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox and Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Jeremy Wright leave Downing Street, London, Britain, December 18, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's trade minister Liam Fox said there is a "50-50" chance that Brexit may be stopped if parliament rejects the government's divorce deal with the European Union next month. "If we were not to vote for that, I'm not sure I would give it (Brexit) much more than 50-50," Fox, a leading supporter of leaving the EU, told the Sunday Times newspaper. With three months left until the United Kingdom is due to leave the EU on March 29, May's Brexit deal is floundering, opening up a range of possibilities from a Brexit without a trade deal to calling Brexit off. Earlier this month, May pulled a planned vote on her deal after admitting parliament would reject it. Lawmakers are set to vote on the deal in the week starting Jan. 14. (Reporting by Andrew MacAskill, editing by G Crosse)