McDonnell plots a path to second vote on Europe
JOHN McDonnell believes a second referendum is “inevitable” if Theresa May’s Brexit plan flops and Labour is denied a general election.
Labour has officially left the door open to another referendum – but senior figures fear the impact on the party’s Leave-backing heartlands in the North, Midlands and South Wales Valleys.
But the Shadow Chancellor told the BBC if Labour cannot get the right deal and then an election, it will call on “the Government then to join us in a public vote”.
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, Mrs May accused Labour of trying to
frustrate EU withdrawal. She said it “would be a betrayal of the many by the few”.
Treasury minister Mel Stride warned overturning the referendum would cause “even further division and turbulence”, even if it was the best option for the economy. He told the Commons that it “would undermine the trust placed by the British people in our democracy”.