In the months after the 2016 referendum, there was a chance of finding a Brexit deal that parliament could have voted for. But it required Theresa May to negotiate with the opposition to find a soft Brexit deal both leaders could support. A combination of remainers and Brexiters would block any Brexit deal in parliament, and outvote it in a referendum. Remainers would vote against a soft Brexit, and Brexiters would ensure many leavers would not vote for it. The painful reluctance of the Labour leadership to give up the idea of a soft Brexit, a reluctance that split the remain vote, was entirely futile because Labour’s soft Brexit can never happen.

Source: The Guardian October 10, 2019 09:04 UTC