Brexit news: Tom Watson to demand second referendum before election in clash with Jeremy Corbyn

Sean Morrison @seanmorrison_11 September 2019
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Tom Watson is today on course to trigger a fresh with Jeremy Corbyn as he demands the party backs another Brexit referendum before any general election.

The deputy leader will say an election on the single issue of the EU may not break the deadlock in Parliament.

Labour deputy leader Tom Watson said 'very serious questions now have to be answered'.
PA

Labour leader Mr Corbyn has made clear his priority is for an election once no deal is off the table, but Mr Watson will argue that the only way to end the impasse is with a second vote.

Speaking in London on Wednesday, Mr Watson will say: "My experience on the doorstep tells me most of those who've deserted us over our Brexit policy did so with deep regret and would greatly prefer to come back; they just want us to take an unequivocal position that whatever happens we'll fight to remain, and to sound like we mean it."

Tom Watson is to repeat his call for Labour to back a second referendum
PA

He will also call on Labour commit “unambiguously” to campaigning for Remain if a referendum were to follow an election.

Labour’s deputy leader’s comments come after Boris Johnson’s motion for an early election was twice defeated in the Commons. Opposition MPs refused to back the bid while the risk of no deal remained.

Mr Corbyn has said while an incoming Labour government would hold a new referendum - with Remain and a "credible" option for Leave on the ballot paper - he has yet to say which he would support.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he would back an election once no deal is off the table
AFP/Getty Images

However, Mr Watson will argue it is not too late for Labour to win back Remain voters put off by confusion over the party's position on Brexit, if they were to commit clearly to campaign to stay in the EU.

Mr Watson will say that so much has changed since the original referendum in 2016 it was "no longer a valid basis" for determining Britain's future and the priority should be a new public vote before an election.

"Very difficult though it was, I and many others respected the result of the 2016 referendum for a long time," he said.

"But there eventually comes a point - and we are very far past it now, well into the fourth year since the referendum - when circumstances are so changed, when so much new information has emerged that we didn't have in 2016, when so many people feel differently to how they felt then, that you have to say, no, that years-old plebiscite is no longer a valid basis on which to take such a momentous decision about the future of the United Kingdom.

"The only proper way to proceed in such circumstances is to consult the people again."

Elsewhere, Boris Johnson has sought to shore up support for his Brexit ambitions as he held talks with the Conservatives' key parliamentary allies the DUP, with leader Arlene Foster and her deputy Nigel Dodds spending more than an hour inside Downing Street.

Arlene Foster, leader of the DUP and Nigel Dodds leave Downing Street following talks with the Prime Minister 
Getty Images

Mrs Foster said the Prime Minister demonstrated his "commitment to securing a deal which works for the entire United Kingdom" as well as the Republic of Ireland, including rejecting the idea of a Northern Ireland-only backstop - which would have created a special economic zone for the country.

The Conservatives have enjoyed the support of the DUP's 10 MPs on many key issues since June 2017, although Theresa May was unable to convince them to vote for her Brexit deal.

The meeting came as Channel 4 reported the PM has asked Government officials to examine the feasibility of building a bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland, an idea Mr Johnson has previously floated.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, center, visits Pimlico Primary school in London
AP

A Government spokesman said: "Government regularly commissions work to examine the feasibility of projects. During the leadership campaign candidates spoke about a number of issues which resulted in Number 10 commissions ahead of a new Prime Minister taking over.

"This PM has made no secret of his support for infrastructure projects that increase connectivity for people and particularly those that strengthen the Union."

Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer will appear at the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in Brighton later and insist Labour will not be silenced in its bid to prevent the UK leaving the EU without a deal despite the suspension of Parliament.

A ComRes poll for the Daily Telegraph suggested 43 per cent of voters believe the UK should leave without a deal on October 31 if the EU refuses to make any more concessions compared to 32 per cent who disagree and 25 per cent who answered "don't know".

But 46 per cent agreed they are "fearful" of the consequences of a no-deal Brexit while 33 per cent disagreed and 21 per cent answered "don't know".

Arlene Foster, leader of the DUP leaves Downing Street following talks with UK Prime Minister.
Getty Images

The poll was conducted between September 6 and 8, with 2,016 British adults surveyed.

Today also mark a deadline set by MPs for the Government to publish communications connected to prorogation and no-deal Brexit planning.

Former attorney general Dominic Grieve's demand for all written and electronic contact about the temporary suspension of Parliament and Operation Yellowhammer documents since July 23 to be released was approved by 311 votes to 302 on Monday.

He used the parliamentary device of a humble address to the Queen to ask for the documents to be put before the Commons by ministers by no later than 11pm on Wednesday.

Mr Grieve's motion asked for all correspondence and communications, formal or informal, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Facebook Messenger, private email accounts, text messages, iMessage and official and personal mobile phones connected to the present Government since July 23 relating to prorogation.

It lists key individuals of Mr Johnson's Government, including senior adviser Dominic Cummings and director of legislative affairs Nikki da Costa.

The Government described the scope of the information requested as "disproportionate and unprecedented", adding in a statement after the vote: "We will consider the implications of this vote and respond in due course."

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