Welsh Labour politicians break ranks from Jeremy Corbyn to call for new Brexit referendum

Jeremy Corbyn is facing fresh pressure over Labour’s Brexit stance after a string of senior Welsh politicians, including two senior figures, have demanded a vote on the final Brexit deal.

More than 30 cross-party representatives in Wales, including 12 Labour MPs, council leaders, Welsh Assembly members and MEPs, said the public must have its say on Brexit, as many of the promises made during the referendum campaign were unlikely to be kept.

Shadow ministerial aides Anna McMorrin and Tonia Antoniazzi both defied the party line to sign the letter, as Corbyn has repeatedly ruled out supporting a fresh referendum on the terms of the deal.

It comes after five MPs from Labour’s northern heartlands broke ranks to openly demand a new vote on Britain’s withdrawal deal amid concerns that leaving the single market could hit living standards and jobs in their region.

Labour’s official position is to respect the result of the EU referendum and to take the UK out of the European single market and customs union, in favour of a new customs union with the EU after Brexit.

However, rival factions have emerged within the party as some MPs back retaining customs union membership, while others are fighting to stay in the single market.

The open letter, coordinated by the campaign group Wales for Europe, said: “The issue now is what we think about the Brexit deal that the prime minister brings back.

“Will it be the right deal for the people of Wales and the rest of the UK? Will it secure a good future for our young people and allow them to thrive? Will it help protect and grow the number of well-paid, highly skilled, jobs that Wales needs?”

It warned that the promises of £350m a week for the NHS or the prospect of new trade deals immediately after Brexit were not going to be kept, while important issues such as the Irish border were rarely discussed during the campaign.

The letter added: “For all these reasons we are coming together, on a cross-party basis, to speak out for the people of Wales and to demand, for them, and for everybody else in the UK, a people’s vote on the final Brexit deal.”

Former Labour leadership hopeful Owen Smith, who was sacked from the shadow cabinet earlier this year for calling for another referendum, also threw his support behind the calls.

Shadow international development minister Preet Gill had to delete a tweet earlier this month after setting herself at odds with the leadership by backing a people’s vote on Brexit.

Meanwhile, shadow business secretary Barry Gardiner avoided getting sacked despite claiming parts of Labour’s approach were “b******s”.

Several Labour MPs have publicly backed a public vote, including Chuka Umunna, Welsh MP Geraint Davis and London MP Gareth Thomas, who put forward a Commons bill calling for a people’s vote on the deal.