The victory of the Lib Dem at the just concluded election
has once again awakened the call for pro-EU Brits to rise up to the task of
challenging the government against any hard Brexit.
This came as the a resilient Tim Farron, the Lib Dems'
leader, emphasised that the Prime Minister must listen to calls to avoid a
British exit from the EU that involves losing access to the single market.
The call came as a result of Sarah Olney’s victory against
Tory majority of 23,000 and pro-Brexit Zac Goldsmith, who tendered his
resignation to protest against the expansion of Heathrow.
It was told Sky News by Mrs Olney that the result cemented
the way for Parliament to "override" the EU referendum result.
According to Olney: "It does look now as if we can have
a vote in Parliament that might override the referendum. And I will, obviously,
be voting to Remain because that is always what I have believed."
Mr Farron welcomed the result as a "historic moment for
the country", and said it was a verdict on Mrs May's "UKIP-ish"
take on Brexit. He further said that though government cannot be changed by one by-election outcome but they
can "change a Government's attitudes and direction".
Mr Farron told Sky News Political Editor Faisal Islam:
"If Theresa May now listens to dozens of Tory MPs, with Liberal Democrats
breathing down their necks, who are saying 'hang about, we don't want to leave
the single market, we'll lose our seats if we do', it could well be that
Theresa May changes her position and we end up with a referendum on the deal at
the end.
"We at least end up with a soft Brexit, in which case,
future generations of British people will have an awful lot to thank Sarah and
the people of Richmond Park for."
The outcome was grabbed on by the European Parliament's lead
Brexit negotiator, Guy Verhofstadt, who congratulated Ms Olney and said Europe
"is watching".
Also speaking, Conservative MP and Remain campaigner Anna
Soubry said the result was "sensational", writing on Twitter that MPs
"ignore Remainers at their peril & u can forget #Hardbrexit".
The remark provoked a death threat from one user, who urged
"someone jo cox" the former minister - a reference to the murdered
Labour MP.
When asked whether the outcome might influence Mrs May to
soften the Government's Brexit stance, a Downing Street spokesman said:
"We had an election and we had a referendum.
"The referendum result was very clear and the majority
of the country expressed an opinion for us to leave the EU.
"The message from the British people was loud and clear
on 23 June that there is a desire for us to leave the EU.
"The Government is getting on with delivering
that."
Furthermore, when asked whether the result might influence
the PM to have a rethink of her opposition to a second EU referendum, the
spokesman replied: "No."
Leave.EU called Mr Farron a "sap" and suggested
the Lib Dem leader needed a "psychiatric evaluation" if he believed
the result represented a change in heart from voters about Brexit.
Spokesman Andy Wigmore said: "This changes nothing.
"If that sap Farron believes one europhile constituency
in London changes the wishes of the 63% of constituencies which voted to leave,
he needs to be sent for psychiatric evaluation."
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