Jeremy Corbyn: Bringing country together again is more important than another referendum
2 min read
Jeremy Corbyn has said politicians should focus on bringing the UK back together rather than having another EU referendum.
In comments which again seemed to put him at odds with official Labour policy, Mr Corbyn said the referendum had taken place and suggested it was now time to move on.
Giving an interview to Channel 4, he was asked whether he could ever agree with Jo Johnson, who resigned as transport minister on Friday to call for a referendum on the final Brexit deal, the Labour leader said: "The referendum took place. The issue now has to be how we bring people together.
"Bring people together around the principles of our economy, our rights and that we don't turn this country into some kind of offshore tax haven on the lines that Donald Trump might wants us to."
His remarks echo those he made in an interview with German magazine Der Spiegel, when he was asked if he would stop Brexit if he could.
Mr Corbyn said: "We can't stop it. The referendum took place. Article 50 has been triggered."
That is despite Labour's official policy, as agreed at its conference in September, being that another referendum should not be ruled out if a general election does not take place.
Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry caused more confusion on Sunday, when she told the Andrew Marr Show that Labour could still throw its weight behind another referendum.
Senior Labour sources insisted the party's policy on another referendum had not changed, despite Mr Corbyn's remarks.
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