Len McCluskey dampens hopes Unite union will back second Brexit referendum
3 min read
Unite chief Len McCluskey has downplayed the chances of his union backing a fresh referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union.
While the union boss said a second vote "must be left on the table", he urged members to instead focus on the "prize" of triggering a general election that could usher in a Jeremy Corbyn-led government, and said a vote on leaving the EU had "already happened".
A poll published this weekend by the People's Vote campaign for a fresh vote found strong backing for a second referendum among members of Britain's three biggest unions - Unite, Unison and GMB.
The study found that 59% of Unite members polled would support another referendum.
But Mr McCluskey told the TUC conference in Manchester: “I understand the argument for a so-called ‘people’s vote’ on the deal, on the deal – not on leaving the EU. That people’s vote has already happened."
“And I accept that option must be left on the table, if for no other reason than as a safety net if Tory MPs become spineless and don’t have the courage of their own convictions to oppose what the prime minister brings back.
“But let’s focus on the prize – sweeping this government away in a general election and giving a Labour government under Jeremy Corbyn the chance to repair two wasted years of Tory wrangling.”
The move by the Unite chief - whose organisation is Labour’s biggest financial backer - could ease the pressure on Jeremy Corbyn to swing Labour behind a second referendum.
Senior Labour figures have repeatedly stated that support for a second Brexit referendum is not party policy, although Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has said Labour will not take “any options off the table” as Theresa May tries to thrash out a deal with the EU.
But Labour MP Owen Smith, who is backing the People's Vote campaign, said: "Someone needs to tell Len and actually the Labour leadership that there’s no such thing as a ‘jobs-first’ Brexit. There never was and there never will be.
"There’s just a Brexit which destroys jobs, workers rights, prosperity and public finances. That’s why a majority of trade union members want the people to have the final say on the Brexit deal.
"Leaving things on the table might sound nice but we need action."
Labour could face fresh calls to change tack on a second vote when members gather for its annual conference later this month.
Last week the GMB union - Labour’s third largest affiliate - came out in favour of the ‘People’s Vote’ campaign, with general secretary Tim Roache saying his members had “no faith” that the Government could come up with “a Brexit deal that works for working people”.
TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady meanwhile said this weekend that unions stood ready to throw their “full weight” behind a second referendum if Theresa May fails “to get the deal that working people need” in talks with the EU.
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