The number of Britons backing a petition against the country leaving the European Union rose to more than two million even as Prime Minister Theresa May’s moves proved beyond doubt that she has completely lost the gambit.
Reports citing parliamentarians said the number of people signing the Article 50 petition crossed 2,138,983 by Thursday and could rise significantly further, thereby unseating the PM and saving Britain from Brexit.
In fact, the government website for petitions crashed under the signatories calling for Article 50 to be revoked.
For Britain, however, there is no other option than accepting the current deal or crashing out of EU without a Brexit or any safety net.
As things stand cancelling Article 50 is the best option for Britain as any extension or changes to the deal would require consent of the other EU members.
The alternative for Britain is to simply revoke the notice calling for an exit from the EU, although other members may be outraged. Britain, however, cannot be expelled from the EU for the farce.
Many Britons now say that Article 50 was activated before Britain was prepared for Brexit - there was no plan, no agreed strategy, no contingency ideas – there were only deadlines.
And the ruling party was in no mood to abandon Brexit. It simply wanted to cling to power, while the opposition Labour tried to wrest control of the process from the uncertain grip of the prime minster.
Businesses and economists say a no-deal Brexit would cause huge disruptions and billions in costs to the economies of both Britain and the EU.