Keir Starmer says Labour likely to vote against Theresa May's Brexit agreement: 'I think it's going to be a very bad deal'

Labour is set to vote against any Brexit deal Theresa May agrees with Brussels, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

Ahead of his speech at Labour's annual conference in Liverpool, the shadow Brexit secretary predicted the government would try to force "a very bad deal" through Parliament.

He said Labour would not vote for an agreement that was not "in the national interest", despite the growing risk of a no-deal Brexit.

Sir Keir will use his speech to say it is "increasingly likely" his party will reject the government's deal.

The move significantly increases the prospects of Ms May failing to get a Brexit agreement through Parliament, with Labour likely to join with Eurosceptic Tories to vote it down.

Labour has set six tests any deal must meet in order to secure its support, including one that says the agreement must secure the exact same benefits as EU membership.

But with Ms May admitting talks with Brussels are at an "impasse" after her Chequers plan was rejected by EU leaders and he own MPs, Sir Keir said Parliament should tell the prime minister her proposed deal was "not good enough".

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think it's going to be a very bad deal, I don't think it's going to meet our tests, and we shouldn't be voting for a deal that we don't think is in the national interest.

"We cannot carry on with this idea that the prime minister can bring back any deal she cobbles together and we must all vote for it, however bad it, because something even worse will happen if we don't That's not a 'meaningful vote'.

"There has to be a point where Parliament says it is not good enough."

Speaking from the conference podium today, Sir Keir is expected to say that Labour will not support a "blind Brexit" in which a vague deal is agreed but key details left for further negotiations.

He will say: “Some have said Labour could vote for any deal the Tories reach. Some have said we may abstain. Some have said we may support a vague deal – a ‘blind Brexit’ – that gives no detail about the terms of our future relationship.

“So, let me be very clear - right here, right now: if Theresa May brings back a deal that fails our tests – and that looks increasingly likely - Labour will vote against it. No ifs, no buts.

“And if the Prime Minister thinks we’ll wave through a vague deal asking us to jump blindfolded into the unknown she can think again. You can’t meet Labour’s tests by failing to provide answers. We will vote down a blind Brexit.

"This isn’t about frustrating the process. It’s about stopping a destructive Tory Brexit. It’s about fighting for our values, and about fighting for our country.”

His speech comes after a day of confusion about Labour's position on another Brexit referendum, with senior shadow cabinet ministers appearing to contradict each other.

John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, had said any public vote should not include the option of staying in the EU but was later contradicted by Sir Keir, who insisted: "Nobody is ruling out 'Remain'."

Another senior shadow minister, Barry Gardiner, also broke ranks to claim the party's policy of attempting to secure a general election was "Looney Tunes territoriy".

Asked about the apparent split, the shadow Brexit secretary said a meeting of 300 delegates to decide the Brexit motion the conference will vote on had been clear that the option of letting the public choose to stay in the EU must be kept on the table.

He told Today: "The clear position is that if there's no general election then an option must be a public vote.

"The room said we don't want ot narrow the question down, we don't want to rule out Remain, but we don't know the situation."