Brexit latest: More Labour chaos as Emily Thornberry says second referendum is still on table... days after Jeremy Corbyn said leaving EU could not be stopped

Hatty Collier11 November 2018
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Labour created more confusion over its Brexit policy today as Emily Thornberry insisted the option of campaigning for a second referendum remains on the table just days after Jeremy Corbyn said leaving the EU “could not be stopped.”

The shadow foreign secretary said that if Theresa May could not get her Brexit plans through a vote in Parliament, then there should be a general election but that if there was no general election, Labour would campaign for a People’s Vote.

It comes after Labour leader Mr Corbyn angered MPs in his own party, who have been campaigning for a second referendum on the final deal, by saying Brexit could not be stopped in an interview with German magazine Der Spiegel.

Appearing on BBC One's The Andrew Marr Show, Ms Thornberry said: "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.

Quizzed on Brexit: Emily Thornberry on the Andrew Marr Show
Jeff Overs/BBC via Getty Images

"That's not a meaningful vote, that's not an injection of democracy.

Jeremy Corbyn (pictured here at today's Armistice ceremony at the Cenotaph) gave an interview to Der Spiegel magazine saying that Brexit could not be stopped
AP

"So, we say if you're going to give us that, 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.”

She added that the 2016 referendum result "ought to be abided by" but added an "injection of democracy" is needed via a "meaningful vote" for Parliament.

Ms Thornberry sought to clarify Mr Corbyn’s remarks and said he was explaining a referendum occurred in 2016 and his party were "democrats over and above everything else" when he replied that Brexit could not be stopped.

She was pressed on how Labour would secure its preferred Brexit deal and asked if she has had a "serious conversation" with a senior EU official who has suggested the UK could get the exact same single market and customs union benefits post-Brexit.

She replied: "Oh, no, no, no, no, of course not.

"But what we've had are discussions and they know what it is that we want, and they know we are democrats and if they were in our position they'd be trying to negotiate exactly the same way as we are."

Told it was a fantasy prospectus, Ms Thornberry replied: "It is not a fantasy prospectus."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in