25 January 2019

The Guardian: Jeremy Corbyn ally dents Labour hopes of push for second referendum

A senior ally of Jeremy Corbyn has said holding a second EU referendum could badly affect the relationship between politicians and the public, as a series of Labour backbenchers tabled new amendments seeking such an option.

Ian Lavery, a Labour MP who is also the party’s national campaigns coordinator, said that while the possibility of a second referendum should be maintained as a way to end an otherwise intractable Brexit impasse, he was worried about the consequences.

Labour’s frontbench has tabled an amendment to Theresa May’s Brexit plan which includes this option, as decreed by party policy, Lavery says in an article for the Guardian. “However, we should be in no doubt that asking the voters to vote again on an issue they have already given an answer, until they come up with the right answer, risks serious damage to the relationship between many citizens and politicians at Westminster.”

The best solution would be a Labour government, Lavery wrote, “not rerunning a divisive campaign that seems likely to deliver the same result again and do nothing to answer the demand of a country crying out for real change.”

Such sentiments from someone seen as close to Corbyn’s team will dishearten those in the party keen to push forward the option of a second referendum, something that polls show is backed by a majority of Labour members.

On Thursday a planned cross-party amendment for a so-called people’s vote was dropped by its organisers, who said the lack of explicit Labour frontbench backing meant it was unlikely to pass. [...]

Full article on The Guardian

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