Labour's John McDonnell dashes hopes of a 'Remain' option in second Brexit referendum
3 min read
John McDonnell has risked angering anti-Brexit campaigners by refusing to back having a 'Remain' option in a second referendum.
Activists pushing for a so-called People's Vote have said voters should get the chance to stay inside the European Union if they reject the final deal Theresa May strikes with Brussels.
But the Shadow Chancellor said Labour would aim to "respect the last referendum" if it throws weight behind a second vote, and instead hinted that the party would call for a simple 'yes' or 'no' vote on the Government's deal.
One Labour MP from the People's Vote campaign urged the party to "rule nothing out".
Asked to guarantee whether Labour would give people a vote on staying in the EU, Mr McDonnell told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "My view at the moment is that Parliament will decide what will be on that ballot paper.
"We'll be arguing that it should be a vote on the deal itself. And then enable us to go back and do the negotiations."
He added: "If we are going to respect the last referendum, it will be about the deal, it will be a negotiation on the deal.
"That's why I'd rather have a general election. Because we can have that, we can then not just discuss the deal. We can also debate the team that will negotiate it...
"We're respecting the referendum. We want a general election. If we can't get that we'll have a People's Vote... The People's Vote will be on the deal itself and we can negotiate a better deal."
Unite general secretary Len McCluskey on Sunday warned Labour against advocating a 'Remain' option, saying such a move could alienate "significant numbers of traditional Labour supporters".
Leaving out the 'remain' option would effectively make a second referendum a 'yes' or 'no' question on whether to accept any deal the Prime Minister strikes with the EU - a move that is likely to anger those pushing for a second vote.
Labour MP Wes Streeting, who is backing the People's Vote campaign, urged his party to "rule nothing out".
He told PoliticsHome: "The Labour Party is uniting around a People’s Vote in the likely event that we can’t force a general election.
"We should rule nothing out in terms of the ballot paper. The vast majority of Labour members and Labour voters would want to see remaining as an option on the ballot paper.”
The Liberal Democrats, who have long argued for a second referendum, meanwhile accused Mr McDonnell of "aiding and abetting Theresa May on Brexit".
The party's Brexit spokesperson Tom Brake said: "It beggars belief that McDonnell and co are spending so much time trying to trick and stitch up their own conference, rather than campaigning for an exit from Brexit to protect jobs and services in the UK.
"The only choice a ‘deal or no deal’ vote gives people is which foot to point the gun at."
Labour members will tomorrow vote on a Brexit motion agreed by party bosses after a marathon five hours of talks at its annual conference.
The motion says "if we cannot get a general election Labour must support all options remaining on the table, including campaigning for a public vote".
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