Labour refuses to kill off prospect of second referendum on leaving EU

Confusion continues over Corbyn’s stance as SNP presses for ‘chance for Britain to change its mind’

JEREMY CORBYN has refused to rule out a second EU referendum if he becomes prime minister.

During a press interview, the Labour leader said his party was “not advocating” another vote on EU membership, but he stopped short of actually killing off the prospect.

It came as Scottish Nationalists invited Labour to join forces with other opposition parties to keep Britain in the single market and customs union. Ian Blackford, SNP leader at Westminster, appealed for cross-party cooperation to prevent the “catastrophic damage” of an “extreme” Brexit.

Labour’s ill-defined Brexit policy means Labour Remain voters are convinced it is “completely against Brexit”, while Labour Leave voters are convinced it is “completely in favour of Brexit”, according to a Yougov survey.

Mr Corbyn continued to keep all options open in his interview with the i newspaper, in which he was asked about remarks made recently by Tom Watson, his deputy, that nothing should be ruled out.

He said: “He did indeed say that, but our position is that we are not advocating a second referendum. We have had a referendum which came to a decision. The negotiations are still ongoing, albeit well behind schedule and we have set out the kind of relationship we want to have with Europe.”

So, Mr Corbyn did not categorically rule out a second referendum – something that Tory rebel Lord Heseltine predicts will happen. Nine backbench Labour MPS this month supported an amendment by the Liberal Democrats to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill – which transfers European law into UK law – which sought a second referendum on the terms of the Brexit deal.

A group of 70 London-based Labour councillors has also written to ask Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, to commit to providing a chance for “people to change their mind”.

Asked why the party had such a confusing message on Brexit, Mr Corbyn said: “I don’t think it’s confusing. What we are saying is … we are formally leaving the European Union, of course – that is the position – [but want to] develop a good economic relationship with Europe and recognise the interdependence of our industries.”

Mr Blackford is to invite opposition leaders to a Brexit summit on Jan 8 when MPS return to Westminster after the Christmas break.

He said: “Extreme Tory Brexit plans to drag Scotland and the UK out of the single market would cause catastrophic damage to the economy – costing hundreds of thousands of jobs, and hitting people’s incomes, livelihoods and living standards for decades to come.

“It is time for MPS of all parties to put politics aside and work together, in the national interest, to protect our place in the single market and the customs union. As we saw with the successful amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill, when opposition parties work together effectively it is possible to secure a parliamentary majority and deliver change in the national interest,” he added.

Meanwhile, Mr Corbyn has insisted that he will be fit and ready to fight the next general election, even if he has to wait until 2022, when he will be 73.

The Labour leader said he has “loads of energy”, and added: “I eat porridge every morning; porridge and energy bars; and I keep off alcohol and meat.”

Sir Vince Cable, the Lib Dem leader who will be 79 in 2022, admitted in an interview that his hope for the new year was to be able to “work less and sleep more”.