Labour peer tells Scottish party to 'get off the fence' and back second Brexit vote
2 min read
A top Labour peer will today urge the Scottish branch of the party to "get off the fence" and back a second Brexit referendum, piling pressure on Jeremy Corbyn.
Former minister Lord Adonis will join forces with an MP and an MEP to demand Scottish MPs throw their weight behind the so-called 'People's Vote' campaign.
Some 62% of Scots voted to stay in the EU at the 2016 referendum - with every one of its 32 council areas voting Remain.
Jeremy Corbyn has refused to commit his party to a second Brexit referendum, with Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard following suit.
At an event in Edinburgh today, Labour former minister Lord Adonis, MP Ian Murray and MEP Catherine Stihler will argue that Scottish MPs will be “critical” in the fight for a vote on the final Brexit deal.
Lord Adonis will say: “Scotland voted overwhelmingly to Remain, so the Scottish Labour party must get off the fence and back a People's Vote.
“The vast majority of Labour Party supporters in Scotland want one, and they do not want their only pro-EU option to be the SNP.”
Mr Murray, the Edinburgh South MP, will argue: Tory leader Ruth Davidson backed Remain and it’s time she told her Scottish MPs to stop acting as Lobby fodder for the Brexiteers, and get behind a People’s Vote.
“She can’t claim to support the Union while putting it at risk with a hard Brexit. Her MPs have a key role when this comes to the Commons – it’s time to put the country before the Tory party.”
And Ms Stihler will add: “Future generations will not forgive us if we go ahead with Brexit.”
Poling by YouGov has suggested that 48% of Scots want a second referendum, with 31% opposed. Some 73% of SNP voters appear to back the drive, and 67% of Labour voters.
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has said her MPs would support another Brexit vote, while the Lib Dems have long been supporters of the campaign.
The campaign for a referendum on the final Brexit deal has ramped up in recent weeks, but UK-wide polls suggest a fresh vote would likely produce a similar result to the first.
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