Britain's opposition Labour Party has voted for a policy that would make it possible for a new vote on Brexit if Prime Minister Theresa May's deal fails to be passed by the UK parliament. This makes the possibility of a second referendum on Brexit highly likely.
"Nobody is ruling out 'Remain' as an option," Labour Party's Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer said at the party's annual conference where he talked about the prospect of staying in the European Union.
The UK prime minister has continually dismissed the call for a second referendum on Brexit, despite calls for one from politicians and celebrities.
In response to Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham's call for a second referendum in early September, Theresa May's spokesperson had said, "The British people have voted to leave the EU and there is not going to be a second referendum under any circumstances."
May had called upon Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn to rule out a second vote on EU membership, but Corbyn failed to respond.
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London Mayor Sadiq Khan, too, called for another referendum saying that people should be given an opportunity to reject Brexit. Khan said that people are facing either a bad deal or "no deal". This will hit jobs and living standards, he claimed.
The Labour Party, just like the Conservatives, are divided over the issue and, hence, Starmer's statement holds significance. Some districts that voted heavily in favour of leaving the EU are represented by Labour MPs.
The party's support for a new referendum might put their chances in the next general election in jeopardy. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn is known to be a lifelong Euroskeptic. But party members have forced the leadership to evolve its support and support staying in the EU.
Delegates at the party conference in Liverpool were told by Starmer that Labour would vote down any deal struck by May. "If the prime minister returns with a deal that does not meet our tests, and that looks increasingly likely, we will vote against her deal," Starmer told the rapturous crowd. "A vague or blind Brexit is a leap to nowhere, and we will have no part in it."
Starmer's statement overruled Jeremy Corbyn's closest ally John McDonnell's, who said that a second referendum would divide the country again. Starmer told the party conference: "We want a General Election to sweep away this failed government". The only other alternative to the general election, Starmer said, was campaigning for a public vote.
Last Sunday, May talked about her opposition to a new Brexit referendum in an article to the Sunday Express newspaper. She said, "Some are now openly advocating a second referendum and extending Article 50 to delay Brexit, sending us right back to square one."
Calls for a second referendum have increased since May returned from an informal EU summit in Salzburg, Austria last week and admitted discussions were "at an impasse."
May struck a defiant tone during a Downing Street statement in which she called for the EU to "respect" the British position and the result of the June 2016 referendum.
She called on the EU to spell out its objections to her plan or come up with an alternative.
"Throughout this process, I have treated the EU with nothing but respect. The UK expects the same. A good relationship at the end of this process depends on it," May said.
