JEREMY Corbyn is set to force his MPs to back a second referendum on Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal, it emerged today.
In a significant shift Labour MPs have been told they are being ordered to back an amendment to the PM’s withdrawal deal, if he brings back one to MPs on Saturday.
Yesterday the Government confirmed that it would call MPs back to Parliament for a bumper Saturday sitting later this week.
Last night Shadow Brexit minister Jenny Chapman said a vote for a second referendum would be “pragmatic” and “sensible.”
“The expectation would be should a deal be tabled on Saturday, and we dont know if thats going to happen, but if it is, I am as sure as you can be that there will be an amendment tabled that would want to see a referendum attached to the deal,” she told the BBC.
“I would expect us to support that.”
But as the Government don’t have a deal to put forward yet, there isn’t the small print of a text.
Many Labour MPs would wait to see one before deciding whether to back it.
Such a move would likely gather the support of the Lib Dems and many of 21 ex-Tory rebels who voted for the Benn Act to rule out a No Deal.
Earlier this year a similar move lost by a handful of votes.
But as the clock ticks down to October 31, any vote could be even close this time.
Yet Mr Corbyn earlier this week said he would “caution” MPs who wanted to do this.
The shift comes after several high profile figures in the Labour Party have moved towards backing a second Brexit referendum – despite promising to respect the result of the referendum.
This morning Labour’s Hillary Benn told BBC News: “If there is a deal reached and it is put to the British people, so they can decide do they want to leave on that basis, or to remain, I would be prepared to do that.
“My colleagues Peter Kyle and Phil Wilson made the same offer to Theresa May on her deal.
“If there is not a confirmatory referendum attached, I will vote against it.”
Labour’s official position on Brexit is that any deal should be subject to a second vote.
If Mr Corbyn wins an election, he has said he would “immediately legislate” for a second vote to take place.
But the party has been fighting to seize power in an election first.
Labour sources said they would wait to see the wording on a specific amendment before throwing their weight behind it.
Several Labour MPs in have said in recent weeks they will support Boris’ deal if he brings it back.
The Liberal Democrats have already put forward an amendment on Brexit to the Queen’s Speech.
It says that any deal brought back from Brussels by the PM should go to a public vote.
If the amendment was selected then a crunch vote could take place next week.
