Mcdonnell says new EU referendum ‘inevitable’

Shadow chancellor John Mcdonnell has suggested it is “inevitable” that a second referendum will be called if Mrs May’s Brexit deal is defeated in the Commons but Labour is unable to force a general election.

Mr Mcdonnell’s comments represent the strongest signal that Labour will support a push for a so-called People’s Vote if MPS reject the Prime Minister’s deal with Brussels.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has previously opposed any bid to reverse Brexit, but party policy was changed at Labour conference in September under pressure from activists.

The Shadow Chancellor told the BBC: “We want a deal that will protect jobs and the econ- 0 John Mcdonnell wants a deal to protect jobs

omy. If we can’t achieve that –the government can’t achieve that – we should have a general election.

“If that’s not possible, we’ll be calling upon the government then to join us in a public vote. It’s difficult to judge each stage, but that’s the sequence I think that we’ll inevitably go through over this period.”