Corbyn won’t rule out revoking Article 50 to stop Brexit altogether
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn refused to rule out cancelling Brexit altogether as he held talks with European leaders in a bid to convince them he can put together a majority around an alternative plan.
The Labour leader was in Brussels to meet socialist heads of government as well as EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier and European Commission secretary general Martin Selmayr.
Mr Corbyn said calls to revoke Article 50 were “hypothetical”, but pressed by journalists, he added: “We think there’s an urgency in con-
structing a majority for an agreeable solution and that’s what we’re concentrating on at the moment. We do believe we can construct a majority which will prevent the crashing out and all the chaos that will come from crashing out, and that is what we are absolutely focused on.”
Opposition leaders who met Mr Corbyn on Tuesday claimed he was not willing to revoke Article 50 even if the UK is set to crash out of the EU. A Labour spokeswoman said revoking Article 50 was “not necessary”.
Accompanied in Brussels by shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer, Mr Corbyn said: “This morning’s meetings have been positive and we have done what I believe the Government ought to be doing – instead of bringing back a twice-rejected deal to the British Parliament, looking for constructive solutions.”