Shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer has said Labour must keep the option of a second EU referendum with remain on the ballot paper. Speaking at a Fabian Society event in London, he reiterated the party's commitment made at last year's Labour conference to keep all options on the table, including a public vote, if a general election cannot be forced.
Starmer stated that a public vote must be an option for Labour, reflecting the party's values of internationalism and cooperation with European partners. He emphasised that there should be a remain option and a genuine leave option in any such vote.
The comments come after Theresa May's Brexit deal was overwhelmingly rejected by Parliament. Starmer suggested that Labour could either instruct the government to negotiate a close economic relationship based on a customs union, or campaign for a further public vote. He also indicated that an extension of Article 50 seemed inevitable, given the legislative challenges before the 29 March exit date.
Deputy Labour leader Tom Watson called on the party not to fail Britain at a 'great moment of change', while shadow culture minister added that a second referendum might be needed to break the parliamentary deadlock. Conservative MP Sarah Wollaston also plans to table a 'people's vote' amendment to the government's plan B Brexit motion.
Starmer criticised the failure in the Brexit debate to address underlying issues such as inequality, low pay, and the broken housing market, stressing the need to tackle the causes of the referendum result.
