Labour faces split over second referendum as Emily Thornberry undermines Jeremy Corbyn

Divisions on the Labour frontbench appeared to widen last night
Divisions on the Labour frontbench appeared to widen last night

Labour is facing a deepening split after Emily Thornberry insisted the party could back a second referendum despite Jeremy Corbyn insisting that Brexit could not be stopped.

Divisions on the Labour frontbench appeared to widen on Sunday, after the shadow foreign secretary appeared to contradict an interview given by Mr Corbyn just days beforehand.

Speaking to the German newspaper Der Spiegel on Friday, the Labour leader said that Article 50 was irrevocable and that his party had to “recognise the reasons why people voted leave”.

He added that many voters had been “totally angered by the way their communities had been left behind” during Britain’s membership of the European Union, adding that a Labour Government would use Brexit to “enhance workers’ rights”.

But on Sunday Ms Thornberry appeared to undermine Mr Corbyn, insisting that the party had not ruled out calling for a second referendum if Theresa May’s Brexit deal failed to live up to Labour’s six tests.

She added that whilst the result of the referendum “out to be abided by”, “an injection of democracy was needed” and that “all options remain on the table”.

"Theresa May is simply giving us a devil in the deep blue sea - she's saying you can either fall off a cliff or get on this bridge to nowhere, and you're going to have to vote on that,” she told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show.

"That's not a meaningful vote, that's not an injection of democracy. We refuse to play that sort of game and, frankly, if you can't come up with a decent suggestion then we should have a general election.

“If we don't have a general election then yes, of course, all the options remain on the table and we would campaign for there to be a people's vote.”

It came hours after Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, warned that Labour would vote down no deal in Parliament, in comments that further rowed back on Mr Corbyn’s comments.

Sir Keir added that there was “no duty” on Labour MPs to “surrender to a bad deal”, as he accused the Government of staging a “political hoax designed to “bully rather persuade”.

Their interventions risk inflaming tensions between the Labour leadership and the party membership, which has overwhelmingly come out in support of a second referendum.

Whilst a number of shadow cabinet ministers have warned that a second vote would be “anti-democratic” and risk emboldening the far-right, in September, the party signed up to a motion at its annual conference which stated it remained open to “campaigning for a public vote”.

Rallying behind Mr Corbyn on Sunday night, Gareth Snell, the Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central, said: “Jeremy is right. Legally, the date of our exit from the European Union has been set in both UK and EU law.

“And the evidence from the clerks of the House of Commons is that there exists no mechanism for stopping Brexit in the current legislation”.

He was joined by Labour Brexiteer Kate Hoey MP, who added: “Jeremy is spot on. Labour should concentrate on policies for the UK after we leave, not try to renege on our manifesto promise to honour [the] referendum result.”

A spokesman for Mr Corbyn said: "Jeremy and Labour's focus is on uniting the country, those who voted leave and remain, around a close future partnership with the EU with a jobs first Brexit deal and a plan to rebuild our economy, communities and public services."

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