The U.K.’s opposition Labour Party is prepared to agree upon a cross-party Brexit deal with the Conservative Party without the promise of a second referendum attached, a senior negotiator has said, causing distress among the party’s predominantly Remain-supporting membership.
With talks set to restart on Monday, shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey said that if her party’s Brexit demands were met, she would not expect Labour to call for it to be put to a public vote.
When asked whether a second referendum was a “red line” for Labour talks, during a Sky News interview on Sunday, Long-Bailey said: “I wouldn’t couch it in terms of a second referendum, but 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.
“If we don’t get a deal that satisfies those objectives—if it is a damaging deal, a damaging Tory Brexit deal, or there is a risk of us moving toward 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 said.
However, the shadow business minister also said there needed to be “hard and fast” progress during the cross party-talks, which were left last week in deadlock and have been deemed by many as likely to fail.
She also denied recent Tory allegations that her party was purposefully hampering progress, saying “we’re certainly not dragging our heels”.
Her statement came as Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson stepped up calls for his party to insist upon a referendum on any Brexit deal in its European election manifesto.
Watson urged members to message Labour’s current national executive committee to call for a “confirmatory ballot” pledge, with the NEC meeting set to take place on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, 21 of Labour’s candidates for the European election, including 11 sitting MEPs, tried to increase the pressure on the NEC by signing a pledge to push for a referendum with remain on the ballot sheet options and if a ballot is called, campaign for remain.
Andrew Lewin, who runs the Remain Labour group, said “Remain voters across the country who want to defeat Nigel Farage’s Brexit party can now vote with confidence and enthusiasm for Labour candidates who have pledged to fight for our future, as members of the European Union.”
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