Labour won’t rule out a ‘People’s Vote’

LABOUR will not rule out a referendum on the final deal with the EU, the shadow Brexit secretary has said.

Sir Keir Starmer told business leaders that he believed leaving the EU would mean ‘things will get worse’ in the short-term.

He said Labour was not explicitly calling for a public vote on the final deal and respected the result of the 201 referendum.

But Sir Keir suggested that if Parliament voted to reject a deal between the Government and Brussels then MPs could push the decision to a ‘People’s Vote’.

At a meeting on Thursday organised by the Labour Business group, he said he believed Britain would suffer in the short-term but added: ‘We have a duty to make Brexit work.’ Asked what would happen if the final deal was rejected, Sir Keir said: ‘It is Parliament that should decide what happens next.

‘It should have the power to decide the options and this might involve a general election or a “People’s Vote”. We’re not calling for it. We respect the result of the referendum. But we’re not ruling out a second referendum.’

Sir Keir’s position mirrors that of the Unite union, Labour’s biggest backer. The People’s Vote campaign, which wants a referendum on the deal, welcomed his comments.