Labour leadership will back final say on Brexit if party members want it, says Tom Watson
The issue of a second referendum is set to be debated at Labour Party conference
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Your support makes all the difference.Labour should respect the wishes of its members if they vote to give the public a final say on Brexit, says Tom Watson.
The deputy leader spoke out after the party faced growing calls to back a second referendum on the negotiations ahead of its conference in Liverpool.
More than 100 constituency Labour branches have submitted motions on the issue and a poll of 1,054 Labour party members showed 86 per cent backed a public vote on the final deal.
“Jeremy and I were elected in 2015 to give the Labour Party back to its members,” Mr Watson told The Observer newspaper.
“So if the people’s party decide that they want the people to have a final say on the deal, then we have to respect the view of our members.”
Mr Watson said his preference was for parliament to vote on the Brexit deal, followed by a general election if there was no agreement.
However he admitted that there would be “pressure in the system” for Labour to commit to a national vote in its next election manifesto.
The Labour leadership has indicated it plans to force an election by seeking a motion of no confidence in the government if Theresa May’s Brexit deal is defeated in parliament.
It follows the prime minister's declaration that the UK was ready to walk away with no deal following the EU’s rejection of the Chequers plan.
Earlier this week shadow chancellor John McDonnell said backing a second referendum would be an option for the party if they could get a general election.
Shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer has previously set out six tests which have to be met before Labour votes for any deal.
“I still think the best way is for parliament to have a meaningful vote on the deal,” said Mr Watson. “And if parliament can’t agree, the implications of the deal should be discussed through a general election.”
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