FILE PHOTO - Former CEO Vote Leave, Matthew Elliott, takes questions after delivering a keynote speech at The UK in a Changing Europe event in London, Britain November 28, 2016. REUTERS/Neil Hall

LONDON (Reuters) - British lawmakers are likely to pass Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit divorce deal by March 29, Matthew Elliott, the head of the 2016 campaign for leaving the European Union, said on Monday.

“The most likely outcome at this juncture is the deal going through,” he told Reuters. “When it becomes apparent that the only extension on offer from the EU is long, tortuous and with lots of conditions, I suspect enough MPs will get behind the deal for it to pass.”

“The deal is far from perfect, but recent parliamentary votes have made it clear that MPs won’t accept a no-deal Brexit and that there’s a very real threat of a very ‘soft’ Brexit, or even no Brexit,” Elliott said.

“The risk of Britain remaining in a customs union in 2020, if the backstop is triggered, is a better option than having parliament vote for a permanent customs union now,” he said. “So I think MPs will see sense and approve the Meaningful Vote before the 29th March.”