Jeremy Corbyn dashes Remainers’ hopes of a second Brexit referendum as he rubbishes U-turn rumours
JEREMY Corbyn dashed Remainers’ hopes he would finally throw Labour’s support behind a second referendum after rubbishing rumours of a U-turn.
The Labour boss said a People’s Vote was still “some way off”.
Communication Workers Union General Secretary Dave Ward said working class people “would feel abandoned” if Labour formally backed another vote, adding: “That is the biggest threat to getting labour elected.”
He blasted Remainers for trying to “turn this into some kind of culture war, not an economic debate”.
And he warned that overturning Brexit would attract more support for far-right figures like Tommy Robinson.
Mr Ward told Sky News: “I think this is very very dangerous, I think it’s playing into the hands of the Brexit Party, the likes of Tommy Robinson and I think it’s abandoning working class people and not listening to their concerns. That is the biggest threat to getting Labour elected.”
Asked if Labour needed to clarify party policy, Mr Ward said: “I think it does, yes. It needs to jump off the fence but it needs to make it clear that in doing that it’s not going to abandon its manifesto commitment to respect the referendum result so therefore I don’t think we should be backing a second referendum.
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"It should say it’s going to deliver Brexit but on the terms that it set out – a soft Brexit.”
He added: “I honestly do not believe from an economic point – no deal Brexit aside, which I accept is a red line – that we’re in a situation where in or out of Europe is really going to change anything.”
But the People’s Vote campaign said it is confident the Labour leader will finally officially throw Labour’s support behind a second referendum over the weekend.
Deputy leader Tom Watson is holding the threat of formally changing party policy through an online ballot or special conference.
One Remain source said: “Party policy can change when Jeremy Corbyn implements what is current party policy.
"Our impression is Corbyn is moving, the resistance is subsiding, but every time he takes two steps forward his senior advisers take him one step backwards.”
Mr Corbyn said the only way a referendum could happen is if MPs agree on a deal to be put to the people against the choice of staying in.
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He told ITV News: “If Parliament comes to an agreement then it’s reasonable, if Parliament wishes it, there should be a public vote on it, but that is some way off.”
Meanwhile in a further sign of how split the party is the Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford said Welsh Labour unambigiously supports a second referendum as the only way forward - and said they would campaign to stay in the EU.
Laying down the gauntlet to Mr Corbyn, he said: “The final decision must now be made by the public in a referendum.”
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