Theresa May to tell EU leaders there will be 'no second referendum' on Brexit

Theresa May will inform EU leaders that there were no second thoughts on Brexit and that no second referendum will be held. She will convey the message at the two-day European council meeting scheduled to be held in Brussels, Belgium on Thursday (20 October).

The statement will put an end to speculation and suggestions of the chances of holding a second referendum. For instance, earlier this month, President of the European Council Donald Tusk had stated that Britons could pull out of Brexit upon realising the painful reality of their decision. He had also said that the only real alternative to a hard Brexit was no Brexit.

However, according to an unnamed Downing Street source cited by the Guardian, May is expected to tell EU leaders that the 23 June referendum result is final. The prime minister would tell her EU counterparts, "The British people have made a decision and it's right and proper that that decision is honoured. There will be no second referendum. The priority now has got to be looking to the future, and the relationship between the UK, once we leave."

The source added that she is also expected to ease fears amid leaders that Brexit would lead to political and economic instability in both the UK and the rest of Europe. "She wants the outcome at the end of this process to be a strong UK, as a partner of a strong EU. She doesn't want the process of the UK leaving to be damaging for the rest of the EU. She wants it to be a smooth, constructive, orderly process," the source explained.

This will be the first time that May will be attending the council meeting. While she is expected to address 27 of her colleagues, Tusk has recently said that discussions about the UK's future relationship with the EU will not be part of the formal agenda at the two-day meeting. However, he said that the British prime minister would be given the opportunity to speak about the current state of affairs in the country, over coffee.