UK Conservative Party chairman says Brexit must be binding

By Jemima Kelly LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's vote to leave the European Union must be binding, the chairman of Britain's ruling Conservative Party said on Sunday, and the exit process will be started before the next general election. Patrick McLoughlin, who was made party chairman by new Prime Minister Theresa May last week, told the BBC's Marr Show that the vote for Brexit meant Britain must now get control of its own borders and that immigration must be reduced. Asked about a report in the Observer newspaper that an "emergency brake" on the free movement of people was being discussed, which would allow Britain to keep access to the European single market, McLoughlin said: "Let us see." "I'm quite clear that the referendum result is binding on parliament," he said.