STUCK IN NEUTRAL
Jeremy Corbyn blasted for hinting Labour may stay neutral in second Brexit referendum
JEREMY Corbyn was blasted for yet more Brexit indecision yesterday after he opened the door to Labour being officially neutral in a second referendum.
The Labour leader and his Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell both refused to rule out the extraordinary proposition of the party refusing to take sides in any second vote.
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Mr Corbyn insisted Labour would throw its support behind Remain against a No Deal Brexit but refused to be drawn on which side the party would back if it was Remain versus a deal negotiated by him.
Asked at a speech in Corby whether the party could be neutral in a second Brexit referendum, Mr Corbyn said: “In a general election, we will put forward the opportunity for people in this country to have the final say.
“It is not a rerun of 2016. It is simply saying the people of this country should make the final decision.
“If it is no deal versus remain then obviously John McDonnell and others made it very clear we would support remain. If there is the opportunity for some other option to be put then that will be put. I want to bring people together.”
Mr McDonnell also refused to say whether Labour would definitely back a side in a second referendum.
Asked whether Labour could be “agnostic” on the issue, Mr McDonnell replied: “That’s one of the issues we’ve got to debate in the party.”
We will put forward the opportunity for people in this country to have the final say
Jeremy Corbyn
Meanwhile Mr Corbyn demanded the Government immediately release its impact confidential impact assessments on a No Deal Brexit.
Leaked documents over the weekend revealed warnings that the UK could be hit with a three-month “meltdown, at its ports, a hard border on the island of Ireland and shortages of food and medicine if it leaves the EU without a deal.
Speaking ahead of a visit to Stevenage today, Mr Corbyn said: “If the government wants to be believed that it doesn’t represent the real impact, it must publish its most recent assessments today in full.
Mr Corbyn also threw his support behind demands to recall Parliament following the publication of the No Deal warnings, but Downing Street flatly rejected the calls yesterday.
The Labour leader yesterday revealed he will host a “stop No Deal summit” with other MPs next week to plot how they will try and force Boris Johnsno’s hand.
In his Corby speech, Mr Corbyn revealed he will put trust at the centre of his attack on Boris Johnson as he gears up for a potential General Election.
MOST READ IN BREXIT
Laying the foundations of his General Election campaign, the Labour leader framed Mr Johnson as a “phoney fake populist” and “Britain’s Trump” in a move that will make even many of his MPs squirm.
Yesterday Mr Corbyn was forced to intervene to stop his supporters heckling and abusing journalists as they asked challenging questions.
A media question which suggested Mr Corbyn may not have the cross-party support required to lead a caretaker administration was greeted with shouts of “shame” from some Labour activists, following his speech at a children’s centre in Corby.
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Jeremy Corbyn activists boo journalists in chaos news conference
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