Brexit deal defeat makes "softer, later" exit more likely - Goldman Sachs

LONDON (Reuters) - A vote in Britain's parliament on Tuesday crushing Prime Minister May's deal to leave the European Union has made a softer, later Brexit, or even no Brexit at all, slightly more likely, Goldman Sachs said on Wednesday.

"We think the prospect of a disorderly 'no deal' Brexit has faded further," Goldman Sachs' European economist Adrian Paul wrote in a note.

The bank maintains its base case scenario that "a close variant" of the current Brexit deal will ultimately command a majority in the House of Commons.

British lawmakers defeated Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit divorce deal by a heavy margin on Tuesday, triggering political chaos that could lead to a disorderly exit from the EU or even to a reversal of the 2016 decision to leave.

(Reporting by Helen Reid; editing by Josephine Mason)