Khan’s U-turn as he backs second vote on Brexit
The reality is the British public had a say. They voted and they voted to leave Sadiq Khan, July 21, 2016
SADIQ Khan faced a backlash last night after he demanded Brexit be postponed to allow time for another EU referendum.
The Labour Mayor of London joined calls for a fresh poll despite warning such a move would lead to ‘even more cynicism’ among voters in the weeks after the 2016 vote to leave the EU. But yesterday he said ministers could ‘easily’ ask Brussels to ‘suspend’ the UK’s exit next March and hold a referendum with the various choices of accepting the Brexit deal or remaining part of the bloc.
Environment Secretary Michael Gove said it was ‘troubling’ that Mr Khan was attempting ‘to frustrate the vote that we had twoand-a-half years ago’.
He told the Andrew Marr Show: ‘People voted clearly, 17.4million people voted to leave the European Union and Sadiq is essentially saying, “stop, let’s delay that whole process, let’s throw it into chaos”. And I think that would be a profound mistake.’
Also appearing on Marr, Mr Khan was shown footage of his comments rejecting a second poll in July 2016 because the British people had ‘had a say’. But he insisted his U-turn was not backing a re-run but giving the public ‘a say for the first time on the outcome’.
He dismissed suggestions he was trying to distract from his track record as mayor. Mr Khan is the most senior Labour figure so far to publicly call for a second referendum. Anti-Brexit campaigners are hoping to use the party’s conference next week to change its official policy in favour of another vote.
But Labour frontbencher Barry Gardiner yesterday told Sky’s Sophy Ridge a fresh referendum would give Theresa May a ‘lifeline’.
The party’s international trade spokesman said the 2016 campaign had caused ‘real divisions’, adding: ‘I think the challenge now is to try to heal society.’
But Labour has not taken the option of another vote off the table.
Tories last night lined up to criticise Mr Khan. Former Cabinet minister Theresa Villiers said: ‘It is so undemocratic to ask people to vote again just because there is an elite establishment that does not like the answer they were given the first time.’
The people must get a final say. This means a public vote on any deal ... alongside the option of staying in Khan yesterday