Mr Fox said it would be “very unfortunate” if the UK was forced to take part in the European Parliamentary elections on May 23, explaining the situation had left MEPs from all parties in limbo. And he also took aim at Nigel Farage, leader of the newly launched Brexit Party, suggesting his “unhelpful” anti-European rhetoric was jeopardising future relations with the bloc once Britain does eventually leave. Assuming Mrs May’s thrice-rejected Brexit deal is not ratified by May 22, the UK will need to take part in the elections – something he told Express.co.uk fills him with little enthusiasm.
He said: “I very much hope that there will be a deal and I hope that these elections do not have to take place.
“Whether it happens or not I don’t know – that’s actually a question for the Labour Party to decide.
“Labour has consistently said it would respect the election result but every time its MPs have voted against Mrs May’s deal.”
Mr Fox, who has been an MEP since 2009, voted Remain in the 2016 referendum – but said he was “absolutely committed” to Brexit, in accordance with the result three years ago.
He said the ongoing uncertainty had left MEPs in limbo, explaining: “My entire office is packed up in cardboard boxes.
“If the elections are held and I have to stay then I’ll have to unpack them.”
And he stressed Mrs May could not be absolved of blame for the current impasse.
He said: “I do think she has done her best but she is the boss and it is understandable that voters hold her responsible.
“But the House of Commons has a responsibility as well – yet they first vetoed her deal, then voted down no-deal.”
Mr Fox, who advocates leaving without a deal if it proves impossible to get Mrs May’s plan ratified by Parliament, said if as looks likely the UK is required to field candidates, he would be one of them, standing once again in the South West England and Gibraltar seat in the Parliament.
Agreeing that Tories in Brussels had been “left holding the baby”, he said: “I’m not particularly enthusiastic about the prospect and these elections will be difficult.
“Voters will ask themselves why are we voting for representatives in an organisation we voted to leave three years ago?
“What I will say to them is we are the only party which is committed to delivering Brexit.”
As for the rise of Mr Farage’s Brexit Party, Mr Fox said: “I understand that people might be tempted to vote for Mr Farage.
“He will shout from the sidelines, as a clever man without responsibility.
“A vote for Nigel Farage is a scream of impotent rage.
“In Brussels, he is deliberately rude and makes his speeches so he can get his videos for Twitter, but it is not very helpful, because we need a working relationship with Europe after Brexit.”
Meanwhile, Mr Fox acknowledged that splits existed within the Conservative Party over Brexit, while pointing out that 89 percent of Tory MPs had backed Mrs May’s deal the third time it came before the Commons.
He said: “I understand the reluctance of Jacob Rees-Mogg, but he is on record as saying it could be Mrs May’s deal or no Brexit, and that ‘half a loaf is better than no loaf’, which is quite a good way to put it.”
As for his own political career after he returns from Brussels, Mr Fox said he was keeping his options open.
He said: “I will set up my own business but if there was a Parliamentary vacancy somewhere I would consider it, although I haven’t taken any firm decisions yet.”
