JEREMY Corbyn has said he will be “bound” by any vote at his party’s conference to support a second referendum on Brexit.
But the Labour leader made clear he still believes an early General Election is the best way to resolve the political crisis over the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.
He said his party was ready to “put our case to Parliament” for an early poll, in comments likely to fuel speculation Labour will table a vote of no confidence in Theresa May if talks with Brussels fail.
Corbyn was speaking as a poll found 86% of Labour members think voters should have the final say on the outcome of Brexit negotiations, and 90% would now vote to remain in the EU.
Pro-EU activists were staging a rally and march in Liverpool where the annual conference got under way, in a bid to pile pressure on the leadership to back a so-called “people’s vote”.
Many activists believe that with May’s plans in disarray following the rejection of her Chequers proposals in Salzburg, the time is now right for Labour to call for a fresh ballot.
Corbyn confirmed there will be a vote on the party’s Brexit stance during the four-day conference, but it remains unclear whether the terms of any motion will enable delegates to commit Labour to a referendum.
More than 100 Brexit motions tabled by constituency parties will be boiled down to one question through a process known as “compositing”, and many expect it to result in a fudge allowing Corbyn to retain room to manoeuvre on the issue.
Asked whether he would feel obliged to respect a vote by delegates demanding a second referendum, Corbyn told BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show: “Let’s see what comes out of conference. Obviously I’m bound by the democracy of our party. There will be a clear vote in the conference. I don’t know what’s going to come out of all the compositing meetings that are going on.”
The SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford seized on Corbyn’s interview.
He said: “Jeremy Corbyn’s approach to Brexit over the last couple of years has been every bit as incompetent as that of the Tories. While he could have shown leadership and forced the minority Tory Government into working towards a softer Brexit, he has ... repeatedly let the hard Brexiteers off the hook – and somehow managed to create a situation where Labour’s position on the EU is even more confused than that of the Tories.”
Blackford added: “Mr Corbyn took charge of the Labour Party marketing himself as someone who would represent the Labour rank and file – but he has never seemed more out of touch with his own party – let alone the rest of the country. No wonder Labour cannot pull ahead of the shambolic Tory party in the polls.”
“People across the UK – whether they voted Leave or Remain – have been badly let down by both Labour and the Tories. With it now looking increasingly likely that the choice facing the UK will be between a no-deal Brexit or a blind Brexit, an extension to the Article 50 negotiation period must be on the table as the only way to avoid an economic cliff edge.”
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