European elections 2019: Jeremy Corbyn refuses to explicitly back another referendum
Tom Watson: Labour Brexit referendum confusion cost votes
(about 1 hour later)
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has refused to explicitly back the idea of another referendum - despite increasing calls from within his party to do so.
Labour deputy leader Tom Watson has said his party lost "many hundreds of thousands" of potential votes in the EU elections because of its Brexit stance.
He was speaking after the party won 14% of the vote in EU elections.
He argued that a lack of clarity on holding a referendum on any deal had led to "electoral catastrophe", after Labour's share of the vote fell to 14%.
Senior Labour figures including deputy leader Tom Watson and shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry have called for Labour to be clearer in its support for a fresh Brexit referendum.
But he welcomed leader Jeremy Corbyn saying the party was "ready to support a public vote on any deal".
Mr Corbyn said any deal with the EU should be put to a "public vote".
Several senior figures criticised Labour's position for lacking clarity.
"We had a very clear policy all along," Mr Corbyn said. "We will call for a general election and a referendum to decide on the future."
Mr Corbyn has attempted to appeal to both Remain and Leave voters in framing Brexit policy, but has come under increasing pressure from senior figures in the party to back a further referendum.
When asked if he would back a second referendum, and campaign for the UK to remain in the EU, he said there should be "an agreement made" (with the EU) which would then be "put to a public vote".
In the European Parliament elections, the Brexit Party, which supports a no-deal Brexit, won the most UK votes. Meanwhile, parties supporting a further referendum, including the Liberal Democrats and the Greens, picked up support.
Mr Corbyn also sent a letter to Labour MPs, saying it was "clear that the deadlock in Parliament can now only be broken by the issue going back to the people through a general election or a public vote. We are ready to support a public vote on any deal."
Backing for Labour and the Conservatives, whose members tend to have a broader range of views on the subject, slumped.
Labour MP David Lammy claimed that the party had "tried to ride two horses" and "fell flat on our faces". Mr Corbyn denied this.
As the results came in, shadow chancellor John McDonnell, one of Mr Corbyn's closest political allies, told the BBC another referendum may be the only way to break the Brexit deadlock in Parliament.
Labour has tried to keep both Leave and Remain supporters on side by saying it accepts the result of the 2016 vote, but also keeping the option of another referendum on the table if it is unable to force a general election or achieve a Brexit deal with the Tories it can endorse.
Faced with the prospect of a "Brexiteer extremist" running the Conservative Party after the contest to replace Theresa May as leader, Mr McDonnell said Labour must back a fresh public vote to prevent a "catastrophic" no-deal scenario.
"What we've tried to do is bring people together, whether they voted Leave or Remain, they still face problems of a Tory government in disintegration," Mr Corbyn said.
"Of course we want a general election, but realistically, after [the European election results] last night there aren't many Tory MPs who're going to vote for a general election," he said.
He said Labour was "listening carefully" to its members and supporters - who would be consulted before the issue was brought back to the party's conference in September.
"It would be like turkeys voting for Christmas, so our best way of doing that is going back to the people in a referendum."
Meanwhile, shadow chancellor John McDonnell told the BBC another referendum may be the only way to break the Brexit deadlock.
The House of Commons has rejected Prime Minister Theresa May's withdrawal agreement with the EU three times, and cross-party talks between Labour and the Conservatives, aimed at ending the impasse, ended recently without agreement.
Faced with the prospect of a "Brexiteer extremist" leading the Conservative Party, Mr McDonnell said Labour would back a fresh Brexit vote to prevent a "catastrophic" no-deal scenario.
Mr Corbyn said Labour's policy had been "very clear" all along.
"Of course we want a general election, but realistically, after last night there aren't many Tory MPs who're going to vote for a general election - it would be like turkeys voting for Christmas - so our best way of doing that is going back to the people in a referendum," he said.
He also sent a letter to his MPs, saying it was "clear that the deadlock in Parliament can now only be broken by the issue going back to the people through a general election or a public vote. We are ready to support a public vote on any deal."
"If there can be a deal, great, but it needs to go back to the people," he added.
Mr Watson, who has called for "a confirmatory ballot" on any agreement, said he was "really pleased" that Mr Corbyn had now "signalled" a change in policy.
"If it's a no deal we've got to block it and the one way of doing that is I think going back to the people and arguing the case against it."
However, there was "very little time" before the 31 October deadline for Brexit, Mr Watson said, arguing that Labour must "urgently" consult its members either through a special conference or a ballot of members to change its Brexit policy.
Labour's 14% vote share in the European elections is worse than its previous low in 2009. It finished in fifth place in Scotland.
He said Labour's Brexit policy had been agreed by "a very small number of people" on Labour's ruling National Executive Committee, which had caused an "electoral catastrophe".
Across Britain, it is in third place, behind the Liberal Democrats (20%) and the Brexit Party (32%).
Labour's 14% vote share in the European elections is worse than its previous low in 2009. Across Britain, it was in third place, behind the Liberal Democrats and the Brexit Party.
Tom Watson said a lack of clarity by Labour on Brexit ahead of the European elections led to "electoral catastrophe" for the party.
"We've lost many hundreds of thousands, if not millions of potential votes in that election because we got it wrong," he told the BBC.
He said he was "really pleased" Mr Corbyn had "signalled" a change in Labour policy, but argued the party should not wait for its annual conference in September to change its official position.
He called for his party to "urgently" consult its members either through a special conference or a ballot.
Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry said Labour's election campaign lacked clarity on Brexit and the party should now campaign to remain in the EU.
She told the BBC Labour had done "everything we can to try and get a decent policy on leaving the European Union" but now faced a Conservative leadership which would "insist" on a no-deal Brexit.
The party must be "equally clear" by supporting another referendum, she said.
Meanwhile, shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer tweeted that the only way to break the Brexit "impasse" was "to go back to the public with a choice between a credible Leave option and Remain".
Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard and Welsh Labour leader and First Minister Mark Drakeford have also spoken out in support of another referendum following the EU election results.
Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard and Welsh Labour leader and First Minister Mark Drakeford have also spoken out in support of another referendum following the EU election results.
Analysis
By Jessica Parker, BBC political correspondent
It has long been suggested that the Labour Party leadership has adopted a position of "constructive ambiguity" when it comes to Brexit. So in plain English: fence-sitting.
But that fence has proved to be an increasingly shaky perch and last night's result has all but blown it down.
However, despite the heavy winds, it's still not clear which way Jeremy Corbyn will fall on this question of a further referendum.
He has talked today about putting any deal to a public vote - but when questioned what a public vote actually means he suggested that a general election is still the priority.
Crucially, the Labour leader has said that members and supporters will be consulted before the issue is brought before party conference in September. Cue a big old argument.
Because while there are many Labour supporters who believe that the party must establish itself as a clear force for Remain there are also those who think that full-throated backing for another referendum could do Labour huge electoral damage in Leave-supporting areas in the Midlands and the north of England.
Also, September is months away. It is questionable whether Jeremy Corbyn can realistically keep his balance on that oh-so-shaky fence all the way until autumn.
Former Labour communications director Alastair Campbell told the BBC he had voted for the Liberal Democrats "for the first time in my life".
Former Labour communications director Alastair Campbell told the BBC he had voted for the Liberal Democrats "for the first time in my life".
"I felt on this issue the Labour Party has let its own supporters down, its members down and the country down in the way that it has failed properly to develop a policy that the party and country could unite around."
"I felt on this issue the Labour Party has let its own supporters down, its members down and the country down in the way that it has failed properly to develop a policy that the party and country could unite around."
Mr Corbyn blamed the election results on "Tory failure" to deliver Brexit, turning the EU elections into a "proxy second referendum" where single-issue parties such as the Brexit Party would thrive.
Labour's MPs are divided on Brexit. David Lammy, who represents Tottenham, in north London, called for the party to "get its act together" and come out fully in support of another referendum.
But Labour's MPs are divided on Brexit. David Lammy, who represents Tottenham, in north London, called for the party to "get its act together" and come out fully in support of another referendum.
"We simply cannot go on with this mealy-mouthed approach to a confirmatory vote," he said.
But other Labour MPs in Leave-voting areas - like Don Valley MP Caroline Flint - said it would be a "mistake" for the party to appeal only to Remain voters.
But other Labour MPs in Leave-voting areas - like Don Valley MP Caroline Flint - said it would be a "mistake" for the party to appeal only to Remain voters.
Labour chairman Ian Lavery told BBC Radio 4 that the results were disappointing, but that the Conservatives had performed worse.
He said: "We're the party who try to bring everyone together, it's been challenging trying to get that view across on the doorstep."
