British lawmakers demand a saying on result of Brexit negotiations

British lawmakers should be allowed to vote in parliament if Brexit negotiations end with no-deal being agreed with Brussels, a committee of members of parliament (MPs) said Tuesday in a report.

The cross-party Exiting the European Union Committee also said Prime Minister Theresa May's government should set out what contingency planning is taking place for the risk of there being no deal at the end of Article 50 negotiations.

The committee, chaired by Labor pro-remain MP Hilary Benn, has been looking at the potential outcomes of negotiations as Britain leaves the European Union after more than 40 years of membership.

MPs on the committee looked at the economic assessment of "no deal" being reached between Britain and the EU, and what steps are being taken to mitigate what would be the damaging effect of such an outcome.

The committee concluded that the assertion by May's government that "no deal is better than a bad deal" is unsubstantiated.

It should undertake an economic and legal assessment of such an outcome, in which Britain would fall back on trading under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.

Benn said: "We all want the best possible deal for the UK, but what we are able to secure will ultimately depend on what the 27 member states (of the EU) are prepared to agree to.

"The government ... should also be prepared for the worst case, that a new trade agreement is not reached or ratified by the day we leave -- because the timescale allowed by Article 50 is particularly tight," Benn said.

The committee report said there is no precedent for the conclusion of a major comprehensive bilateral or multilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) covering goods and services within two years.

On Gibraltar, Benn said in the report: "Gibraltar's sovereignty, the wish of its people to remain British and its rights under any deal must be protected." Endit