JEREMY Corbyn has sought to end the damaging divisions over Labour’s referendum row by confirming that remaining in the EU would be an option in any future People’s Vote backed by the party.
Ahead of his keynote speech today, the Labour leader was asked if he backed the earlier assertion by Sir Keir Starmer, the Shadow Brexit Secretary, who told conference: “No one is ruling out Remain as an option.”
Mr Corbyn told Sky News: "Those are the words of the motion that was supported by the National Executive and the Shadow Cabinet and that is what is being voted on in conference…
"Keir put that in because it's what's there in the motion. We will challenge this Government. If they don't meet our six tests, we will vote against it, and then we will take it from there,” he declared.
Yesterday, the party’s rift over the nature of a so-called People’s Vote was laid bare after John McDonnell insisted Remain would not be part of the question put to voters in any second referendum. Later, Sir Keir insisted it would be.
And in his keynote conference speech yesterday he again claimed not only had Remain to be an option in any future referendum but no-one, including the Shadow Chancellor, was ruling it out.
However, during an at times passionate debate on Brexit, Steve Turner, Assistant General Secretary of Unite the union, told delegates that if the Tories were not brave enough to call a general election, then Labour would “demand they go back to the people with a vote on the deal”.
He went on: “That is not in a second referendum, despite what Keir Starmer may have said earlier, it will be a public vote, that’s a vote on the terms of our departure.”
In his conference address, Sir Keir made clear the party was set to vote against Theresa May’s Brexit plan when it was put to a Commons vote and that a general election should be triggered if she were unable to win Westminster’s approval.
As he went through the key passage, delegates regularly applauded various sections and at one point around two-thirds of delegates rose to their feet.
The Shadow Secretary of State argued that if Labour could not secure a general election, then "we must have other options; that must include campaigning for a public vote".
He went on: "It is right that Parliament has the first say but, if we need to break the impasse, our options must include campaigning for a public vote and nobody is ruling out Remain as an option."
After the Brexit debate, delegates approved by a show of hands the proposed motion, which, in the event of the Government’s Brexit plan failing to get MPs’ support, called for a general election with the option of a second referendum if one did not happen.
The vast majority were in favour of the motion with only a small number against.
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