UK's Labour hedges bets on new Brexit referendum

UK's Labour hedges bets on new Brexit referendum

May 01, 2019



Labour's governing body has agreed to support a further referendum on Brexit under certain circumstances.

The National Executive Committee met to decide the wording of its manifesto for May's European elections.

It rejected the idea of campaigning for a referendum under all circumstances - as supported by deputy leader Tom Watson and many ordinary members.

But the party will demand a public vote if it cannot get changes to the government's deal or an election.

The National Executive Committee (NEC) oversees the overall direction of the party and is made up of representatives including shadow cabinet members, MPs, councillors and trade unions.

A Labour source said: "The NEC agreed the manifesto which will be fully in line with Labour's existing policy to support Labour's alternative plan and if we can't get the necessary changes to the government's deal, or a general election, to back the option of a public vote."

The decision was sufficiently nuanced, though, that MPs have interpreted it in different ways.

Wes Streeting, who favours another referendum, tweeted that the NEC had "made the right call and confirmed that a public vote will be in our manifesto for the European elections".

Fellow pro-referendum MP Bridget Phillipson said Labour had "done the bare minimum needed" and she could "only hope" it would be enough to win over voters who want another say on Brexit.

On the other side of the party, Gloria De Piero, who is against another vote, also welcomed the decision , arguing it meant the manifesto would "not contain a pledge" to hold a referendum - only keeping it as "an option" if a general election could not be engineered.

Conference policy

The UK will have to take part in European Parliamentary elections on 23 May unless a Brexit deal is accepted by MPs before then.

Labour agreed a policy at its last conference that if Parliament voted down the government's withdrawal deal with the EU - which it has effectively done three times - or talks ended in no-deal, there should be a general election.

But if it could not force one, conference agreed that the party "must support all options remaining on the table, including campaigning for a public vote".

Since then, though, Labour has entered into cross-party talks with the Conservatives to see if they can reach a consensus on how to get a Brexit deal through Parliament so that Britain can leave.

Many Labour members wanted the party to make its agreement to any deal conditional on it being put to a public vote - what Labour calls a "confirmatory ballot".

Labour have not yet made clear what their proposed referendum would be on, but a party briefing paper to MPs published earlier this year said it would need to have "a credible Leave option and Remain" on the ballot paper.