Brexit still might not happen and this is the reason why

The frontrunners in the Conservative leadership contest, Theresa May and Michael Gove, have both said they will not trigger Article 50 - the mechanism for Britain to leave the European Union - this year.

That delay could be crucial in halting a Brexit. Crossbench peer and legal expert David Pannick QC believes that new legislation would be needed for the UK to trigger Article 50 because it is 'a notification of 'withdrawal' and does not allow for turning back".

Put simply, that means Article 50 cannot be triggered without MPs voting on it.

But with a delay in triggering Article 50, MPs will not be asked to vote on the UK leaving the European Union until 2017 at the very earliest. That delay is why some experts believe Brexit may still not happen.

As Michael Zander QC, Emeritus professor of the Law at the LSE, writes in today's Times, neither the Lords or the Commons would vote against a Brexit right now. But that could change.

Speaking to Indy100, Professor Zander explained:

If members of parliament feel that circumstances have changed to such an extent that, despite the referendum result, it no longer makes sense to go ahead with Brexit, they have a constitutional duty to refuse to give it effect.

So while that relies heavily on caveats, it is part of the reason why some people believe a Brexit may not happen despite the Leave vote.

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