A double-decker bus passes by Union Jack flags displayed by pro-Brexit supporters outside the Houses of Parliament, following the Brexit votes the previous evening, in London, Britain, March 28, 2019. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

PARIS (Reuters) - Britain’s departure from the European Union may be mired in turmoil but a second referendum would be anti-democratic, said Nathalie Loiseau, a former French minister now spearheading President Emmanuel Macron’s European election campaign.

Taking a swipe at Britain’s beleaguered political class, Loiseau said Brexit had been sold to Britons on “simplistic slogans” and now the country did not know in which direction to head as an April 12 deadline approaches.

“There is chaos, there is confusion,” Loiseau told BFM TV on Thursday. “I’m against a new referendum because it would be a denial of democracy. Britain must leave.”

Prime Minister Theresa May’s offer on Wednesday to resign if her deal was passed appeared to have failed to convince her hardline opponents to back her Brexit withdrawal agreement. Meanwhile, parliament’s bid to agree an alternative strategy also fell short, leaving the process as deadlocked as ever.

At a summit of European leaders last week, Macron led the charge for only a short Brexit delay from March 29 if May could not secure her parliament’s backing for the divorce deal.

Britain has long been a thorn in French plans for deeper European integration and Macron is increasingly frustrated by how Brexit is distracting the EU from other priorities, from euro zone reform to confronting rising nationalism.

Loiseau stepped down as European Affairs minister this week to head Macron’s European candidate list.