Campaigners for new EU referendum launch plan to force Labour to change policy

Campaigners for a referendum on the final Brexit deal have launched a bid to force Labour to back to plan, it has been reported.

According to reports from the BBC, People's Vote want party members to submit a motion for debate at next month's Labour conference calling for a shift in its current stance.

Labour insists that it respects the result of the 2016 EU referendum - but has stopped short of completely ruling out backing another vote.

The BBC says it has seen an internal memo drawn up by Tom Baldwin, a former spokesman for Ed Miliband and now head of communications for the People's Vote, laying out plans to change Labour policy.

However, he also stresses that the bid is not an attempt to oust Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader as well.

A YouGov/Sunday Mirror poll commissioned by People's Vote suggested yesterday found strong support for another referendum among Labour's target voters.

It found that 59 per cent of people who do not currently support Labour but who say they "might" or "would seriously consider" getting behind the party want a fresh referendum on the final deal with the European Union.

Labour's top team are split on the issue, with Shadow International Trade Secretary Barry Gardiner claiming last week that it would lead to civil unrest, while Keir Starmer and John McDonnell both refused to rule one out.

Meanwhile, Starmer has warned that Britain will be left in "an unsustainable legal vacuum" if it leaves the EU without a deal.

The Government last week published a string of documents on how the UK would cope if in the event of a no deal Brexit.

But Starmer said they had "barely scratched the surface" and claimed emergency legislation would ne needed on EU citizens’ rights, immigration rules for EU travellers entering Britain, criminals held under the European arrest warrant and the Irish border.