...but Remainers need to accept vote and get the best deal

REMAIN voters must accept the Brexit vote and stop calling for an unworkable second referendum, says Thangam Debbonaire MP.

The Bristol West MP, whose constituency voted by 80 per cent to remain in the European Union, came in for heavy criticism last week for ruling out campaigning for a socalled ‘people’s vote’ on the final Brexit deal.

Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable accused her of “let[ting] down” her constituents and of “pumping out Corbyn’s pro-Brexit line”.

Mr Cable used a debate in Parliament last week to call for MPs to back holding a referendum on the exit deal Theresa May strikes with Brussels in the autumn.

More MPs have joined the campaign with Dr Sarah Wollaston, Conservative Totnes MP and chair of the health committee stating the public should have the final say on Brexit.

But Ms Debbonaire – who describes herself as “a remainer till I die” – has hit back at Mr Cable’s comments and, in an interview with the Bristol Post , said it was time to “bring the country back together” rather than push for a ‘people’s vote’.

The Labour Party whip said: “I have no problem saying I’m not in favour of a second referendum. I didn’t particularly think having the first one was a good idea. But we had it and we lost. How would us remainers feel if we had won and others were calling for another referendum? That is not how it works.”

Ms Debbonaire questioned the practical side of holding a referen- dum on a Brexit trade deal. “What would the question be?” she asked. “Would it be, ‘Do you like this deal or just a bit of the deal?’ You can’t put everything on the ballot paper – it was bad enough the first time.”

As a whip whose job it is to convince Labour MPs to side with the leadership during Commons votes, Ms Debbonaire could be sacked if she voted for a second referendum given it is not party policy.

But Ms Debbonaire said she was not simply doing leader Jeremy Corbyn’s bidding, as suggested by Mr Cable. “I have plenty of freedom,” she said. “If I don’t like the position we are in, I could resign. But I choose not to because I think trying to bring the party and the country back together is worth fighting for.”

And the ex-shadow culture minister said it was unfair for the Lib Dems to insinuate that she had “let down” her constituents with her anti-second referendum stance. “Lots of my constituents hate Brexit but they are not asking me for a second referendum,” she said. “I have held public meetings, I have met trade unions, the local enterprise partnership (LEP), small businesses and manufactures like Rolls-Royce, Airbus and Honda. Every one of them has given me a list of things to do and not one has asked me to go for a ‘people’s vote’. All those organisations understand what I need to do is get a practical solution and approach to this ghastly situation we’re in since losing the referendum two years ago – and that is being as close as possible to the single market and customs union, something which is Labour Party policy.”