Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage says Britain is heading for a delay to its scheduled March 29 exit from the European Union and probably will hold a fresh referendum on the country's membership of the European Union.
Prime Minister Theresa May suffered a resounding defeat on her Brexit plan in parliament on Tuesday.
"I think and I fear that we are headed on a path towards delay and probably, yes, a second vote," Farage, who pushed for the Brexit referendum of 2016 as leader of the UK Independence Party, told Sky News television on Wednesday.
Farage added the "leave" vote would be even bigger if a second referendum were to be held.
"The British may be a very placid people, very laid back but I promise you: if they get pushed too far it's a lion that will roar. We will be even more defiant if we have to fight a second referendum and we will win it by a bigger majority," he said.
Farage, as UKIP leader, put pressure on former prime minister David Cameron to promise an EU referendum and then helped lead the successful campaign to leave the bloc.
After stepping down as UKIP leader following the 2016 referendum, Farage has been critical of the party which he cast as disorganised and poorly led.
He quit the party in December, criticising a decision by the current leader, Gerard Batten, to appoint far-right activist Tommy Robinson as an adviser.
Australian Associated Press
