Labour’s ruling body meets amid pressure for second Brexit referendum pledge

Ahead of Tuesday’s meeting of the National Executive Committee, large numbers of Labour MPs and candidates and leaders of major unions called for the party to back a referendum on any Brexit deal.

But senior figures within the party are resisting such a move, insisting Labour should stick to promising a public vote only to avoid a “damaging Tory Brexit” or crashing out without a deal.

The meeting came amid increasingly positive mood music surrounding cross-party Brexit talks with Labour, with the Government understood to be hoping a conclusion may be reached towards the middle of next week.

De facto deputy prime minister David Lidington told Cabinet that talks on Monday were “serious and constructive”.

And Theresa May’s official spokesman said: “Further talks will now be scheduled in order to bring the process toward a conclusion.

“Cabinet also discussed the need to secure safe passage of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill as soon as possible in order to deliver upon the result of the referendum.”

Mrs May has set out two possible outcomes from the cross-party talks – a compromise deal to get the Withdrawal Agreement through Parliament or a series of indicative votes in the Commons backed by both major parties.

It remains unclear whether the parties will be able to bridge the gap between them on issues like a future customs union in the coming days, but any resolution next week would almost certainly come too late to prevent European elections going ahead.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said questions remained as to whether Labour was “serious about delivering Brexit”.

Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson, who has been pushing for a public vote on any Brexit deal, walked out of a shadow cabinet meeting after being told it would not be shown a draft of the proposed manifesto wording.

Mr Watson insisted there was “no rancour at all”, explaining: “I politely asked if the shadow cabinet were going to see the draft words and was told ‘no’. So I left to walk to the NEC where the document will be available and the decision will be made.”

Arriving for the NEC meeting at Labour HQ in London shortly afterwards, he said: “We always have lively discussions at the National Executive Committee, but I don’t think there will be a row.

“These are very serious matters.”

And left-leaning committee member Pete Willsman, who has publicly attacked Mr Watson’s position, said: “There’s not going to be no row at all. The word is nuanced.”

Mr Corbyn did not speak to waiting reporters as he arrived by a side entrance.

Ahead of the NEC meeting, Labour MPs Peter Kyle and Phil Wilson wrote to Mr Corbyn and all NEC members urging them to ensure that a confirmatory ballot is in the manifesto.

“If we don’t do it, the coming years will be divisive because people will be turning round and saying ‘Hang on, I didn’t vote for this’.”

Some 115 MPs and MEPs signed a letter to NEC members organised by the Love Socialism, Hate Brexit group urging them to explicitly back a referendum in the manifesto.

Mr Watson used his Twitter account to urge followers to lobby NEC members to back a public vote.

An additional 12 Labour candidates in the European elections added their names overnight to a pledge to campaign for a referendum and then back efforts to remain in the EU, bringing the total to 34 out of 70.

Meanwhile, some of Labour’s biggest union backers are also throwing their weight behind a referendum pledge.

TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes said: “Frankly it’s time for our party to act on the overwhelming wishes of its members and voters by pledging to support a confirmatory public vote on any Brexit deal.

“We will be pushing hard for this to be included in Labour’s European manifesto.”

GMB general secretary Tim Roache said: “Any final Brexit deal must be put to the people for them to decide whether or not it’s acceptable.”

Corbyn-backing Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle warned that a failure to offer a referendum could scotch the party leader’s chances of getting to 10 Downing Street.

“Only way JC will be PM is to offer a confirmatory vote – we could be out of power for a generation and the left will be swept away in Labour,” warned the member for Brighton Kemptown. “This is the fight for the left project and many are committing self harm.”

Change UK – the Independent Group – was holding the first of its “People’s Vote Remain” rallies calling for a second referendum in London on Tuesday.