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25th Sep 2018

Labour delegates vote in favour of making second Brexit referendum an option

Wayne Farry

second Brexit referendum

The decision was made after a vote at the Labour conference

The Labour party has voted overwhelmingly in favour of a motion which could see the party back a second Brexit referendum.

A vote took place at the party’s conference in Liverpool on Tuesday afternoon with the result meaning that all options, including a Remain vote, would be kept open.

It was passed in a show of hands and it is reported that only a few voted against the motion.

Despite previously ruling out a second Brexit vote, Jeremy Corbyn confirmed earlier this week that he would honour the result of the vote.

In his speech to the conference earlier in the day, shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer had confirmed that the option to remain in the EU would be on the ballot of a future referendum if the decision was down to Labour.

“Nobody is ruling out remain as an option,” said Starmer, with a statement that was received by cheers and rapturous applause by the attending crowd.

In an interview earlier in the week, Labour deputy leader Tom Watson had urged Corbyn to listen to party members, whose responses to a YouGov indicated that as many as 86 percent were in favour of a second vote.

“Jeremy and I were elected in 2015 to give the Labour party back to its members,” he said. “So if the people’s party decide they want the people to have a final say on the deal, we have to respect the view of our members and we will go out and argue for it.”