Labour hints at backing Brexit deal without promise of referendum
Labour hints at backing Brexit deal without promise of referendum
Shadow minister says if party’s demands are met she would not expect a second public vote
Labour is prepared to sign up to a Brexit deal with the government without the promise of a referendum attached if cross-party talks make significant progress in the coming days, one of the party’s negotiators has said.
With talks set to resume on Monday, Rebecca Long-Bailey, the shadow business secretary, made clear that if Labour’s Brexit demands were met, she would not expect the party to insist it be put to a public vote.
“Our party policy has always been that firstly we want to get a Brexit deal that puts our economy and living standards first and protects our environmental protections, workplace protections, health and safety standards,” she said.
“If we don’t get a deal that satisfies those objectives – if it’s a damaging deal, a damaging Tory Brexit deal, or there’s a risk of us moving towards a no deal – in that circumstance, we’ve said that all options should be on the table, and that includes campaigning for a public vote,” she added.
Her intervention came ahead of what is widely expected to be a combative meeting of Labour’s ruling national executive committee (NEC) on Tuesday, to sign off its manifesto for the European parliamentary elections.
Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson, who sits on the NEC, made clear on Sunday that he will use the meeting to push for a confirmatory vote on any Brexit deal to be included in the manifesto – even urging Labour supporters on Twitter to lobby potential waverers.
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