Corbyn plans to ‘heal’ Britain with a second referendum
JEREMY CORBYN has claimed a second referendum could be a “healing process” for the country and said Labour was “quite prepared” to put a Brexit deal to another public vote.
The Labour leader was last night accused of kowtowing to “Remain fanatics” in his shadow cabinet after he suggested that a new poll could help “bring people together”.
Launching Labour’s European elections campaign in Kent yesterday, Mr Corbyn appealed to his party’s Europhile wing, insisting that he was still open to holding a “confirmatory vote”.
However, he faced ridicule from some quarters as he was forced to defend Labour’s Brexit policy over allegations that its ambiguity is a growing source of frustration among voters.
“I don’t think it’s been confusing at all,” he told an audience in Chatham. “It’s said that Labour is trying to offer something for everyone over Brexit, I make no apology over that.
“The view we put forward... [is] that we should include the option of having a ballot on a public vote on the outcome of the talks and negotiations on what we’re putting forward. I would want that to be seen as a healing process... bringing this process to a conclusion.”
Attempting to heal the divisions between Labour’s warring Brexit factions, he sought to shift the focus of the European elections on to austerity and the Government’s track record. But within hours of his speech he came under attack from both Leave and Remain MPS.
John Mann, the Labour MP for Leave-voting Bassetlaw, said: “There’s no appetite for a referendum in areas like mine. The numbers opposed to it are growing not increasing. [Mr Corbyn] is under a lot of pressure from Remain fanatics in his shadow cabinet. We’re relying on [him] to stay true to his Brexiteer traditions.” Meanwhile, Tom Brake, the Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesman, said: “It is clear that Jeremy Corbyn has trashed the hopes of Remainers... a vote for Labour at the European elections is a vote for Brexit.”