Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty laid out, for the first time, the means whereby a Member State could leave the EU; however, were we to try and leave using Article 50, we might well find that we were never able to leave.

Under Article 50, there is a two-year negotiation period which could be prolonged indefinitely by unanimous agreement of EU member states. Even if we did manage to leave using Article 50, we could find ourselves with a 'deal' that still required us to pay contributions to the EU budget, having to accept a large proportion of EU laws and with open borders to EU citizens. We simply do not know what that deal might be, in the two or more years following us giving notice.

Another great danger is that the British government could delay the whole process beyond the next General Election in 2019. Whichever party wins that election, it could then set aside the Referendum decision (which is, in any event, not legally binding) if they so wish, on the basis that a general election result trumps a referendum (formally put, that no Parliament can bind its successors), and we might never leave.

The only sure way for Britain to leave the EU is for our Parliament to repeal the European Communities Act 1972. This would immediately return supremacy of law to our own Parliament and courts, and free us from control by the EU. Chaos would not ensue because all EU Directives, which have been transposed into Acts of Parliament, would remain in place. These could then be repealed when needed, leaving what laws we might need to interact with the EU (if, indeed, the EU itself continues to exist).

The difference between the Article 50 method and the straightforward repeal of the European Communities Act is that the repeal puts the British Government and Parliament, and not the EU, in control. A full and detailed explanation of how this strategy would work has been outlined in a book by Gerard Batten MEP entitled "The Road to Freedom".