Could we really be about to see a second Brexit referendum?
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn confirmed on Monday that the Labour Party will support a re-run of 2016’s referendum that saw the UK vote to leave the EU.
Senior Labour MP Emily Thornberry has explained Labour would introduce an amendment on 27 February that would agree to pass May’s deal through Parliament (which has already been defeated twice) if May would then put that deal before the British people.
The public would then have a second Brexit referendum, where the options on the ballot would be to leave the European Union under the terms of May’s deal, or to remain in the European Union, thus undoing the vote of 2016’s referendum.
Alternatively, if May cannot get a deal through Parliament, the second Brexit referendum would see the option “No deal” pitted against “Remain”.
Thornberry further confirmed that she, Labour as a whole, and Jeremy Corbyn would be campaigning for a Remain vote.
Speaking to the BBC, Thornberry said: “Whether we’re facing a no deal, or a disastrous Tory Brexit, either should go before the people and we need to have the people break the logjam. Whilst we have been desperately trying to get May to understand that we must be in the customs union and have a close relationship with the single market… Unfortunately, we’re not able to force her on this.”
“But we cannot support what she wants to do. We should make sure it now goes back to the people in order to break this impasse.”
"We need to have the people break the logjam" – Labour's Emily Thornberry on the party being prepared to support a #SecondReferendumhttps://t.co/qHENePn47z pic.twitter.com/dC4m4JuH6b
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) February 25, 2019
As it stands, the UK is set to exit the EU on 29 March without a deal in place — an outcome that has led to uncertainty over food supplies, medical supplies and the status of the border in Ireland.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
