February 26, 2019

Jeremy Corbyn declared last night that he will support a second referendum if he cannot get the Brexit deal he wants, in an attempt to stem the exodus of MPs from Labour.

Mr Corbyn’s surprise announcement, which triggered an instant backlash from Labour MPs who oppose a referendum, is the first time that his party has supported moves in parliament to hold a new vote. The decision came as a YouGov poll for The Times revealed a further surge in support for the breakaway Independent Group. The poll put Labour on 23 per cent, down 3 points in a week, while the new group went up 4 points to 18 per cent.

Last week’s Labour split appears to have unnerved the leadership, with John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, understood to have demanded that Mr Corbyn, who has previously signalled his reluctance for a new EU referendum, to back another vote.

Read more:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/labour-will-back-second-referendum-on-brexit-mvbb5snm5