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Brexit: Labour braced for showdown over second referendum
Source: The Guardian
Brexit: Labour braced for showdown over second referendum
MPs call on party to support European election manifesto that campaigns for second vote on any Brexit deal
Jessica Elgot and Rajeev Syal
Mon 29 Apr 2019 19.51 BST First published on Mon 29 Apr 2019 11.36 BST
Labour is braced for a showdown over whether to back a referendum on any Brexit deal when the party’s governing body meets to agree its draft European elections manifesto on Tuesday.
Party sources suggested the party was likely to agree a compromise option where it would support a referendum in order to prevent Theresa May’s Brexit deal or leaving without a deal, describing that wording as “the path of least resistance”.
However, a public drive for a stronger line has been led by the party’s deputy leader, Tom Watson, who has urged remain-supporting members to write to the national executive committee’s members, including Jeremy Corbyn.
More than 100 Labour MPs have written to NEC members to argue that Labour should use the election to campaign for a second referendum in any circumstances and more than 20 Labour MEP candidates have pledged to back a referendum and then campaign to remain in the EU.
On Monday, the Labour MPs behind the parliamentary drive for a confirmatory referendum on Brexit also wrote to the NEC urging it to use the European elections to campaign for a fresh poll regardless of whether a deal has been reached with the government.
-snip-
MPs call on party to support European election manifesto that campaigns for second vote on any Brexit deal
Jessica Elgot and Rajeev Syal
Mon 29 Apr 2019 19.51 BST First published on Mon 29 Apr 2019 11.36 BST
Labour is braced for a showdown over whether to back a referendum on any Brexit deal when the party’s governing body meets to agree its draft European elections manifesto on Tuesday.
Party sources suggested the party was likely to agree a compromise option where it would support a referendum in order to prevent Theresa May’s Brexit deal or leaving without a deal, describing that wording as “the path of least resistance”.
However, a public drive for a stronger line has been led by the party’s deputy leader, Tom Watson, who has urged remain-supporting members to write to the national executive committee’s members, including Jeremy Corbyn.
More than 100 Labour MPs have written to NEC members to argue that Labour should use the election to campaign for a second referendum in any circumstances and more than 20 Labour MEP candidates have pledged to back a referendum and then campaign to remain in the EU.
On Monday, the Labour MPs behind the parliamentary drive for a confirmatory referendum on Brexit also wrote to the NEC urging it to use the European elections to campaign for a fresh poll regardless of whether a deal has been reached with the government.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/apr/29/brexit-labour-urged-to-resolve-second-referendum-crisis