Shadow Cabinet split as Corbyn pressured over 2nd referendum
LABOUR’S split widened as Jeremy Corbyn faced mounting pressure from both sides over making a second referendum part of a Brexit deal.
Arriving for talks with the Government, Sir Keir Starmer, Shadow Brexit Secretary, revealed that a “confirmatory” referendum was among the ideas on the table for discussion.
It came after Deputy Leader Tom Watson and Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry urged Labour’s leader to demand any deal he signs with Theresa May is put to a public vote.
Mr Watson said: “I don’t think our party would forgive us if we were to sign off on a Tory Brexit without that kind of concession.”
A Labour source told the Mirror any deal agreed would need a new public vote to receive party backing.
A confirmatory poll was backed by 198 Labour MPs as part of the indicative votes last week and 27 voted against. But Mr Corbyn has indicated he would only back a referendum “to prevent crashing out or a bad deal”.
The issue led to a clash in last night’s Shadow Cabinet, where one source said that seven shadow ministers urged caution over a referendum. They were Angela Rayner, Rebecca Long-Bailey, Peter Dowd, Andrew Gwynne, Richard Burgon, Ian Lavery and Barry Gardiner.
Meanwhile Tom Watson, Jonathan Ashworth and Diane Abbott spoke in favour, the source claimed.
Party chair Ian Lavery said Labour “could be finished” by a second referendum.
Some 25 Labour MPs including six shadow ministers have written to Mr Corbyn urging him not to let the issue hold up a Brexit deal. They warned: “A second referendum would be exploited by the Far-Right and damage the trust of many core Labour voters.”