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Labour officially backs Remaining in the EU in huge Brexit betrayal to millions of voters
LABOUR has confirmed it will betray millions of leave voters and campaign for a second referendum, and to Remain in the EU.
In a bombshell announcement Jeremy Corbyn said today that his party will back another divisive vote to stop Brexit - as long as the Tories are still in power.
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After years of flip-flopping on the issue, he said that no matter what Brexit deal the next PM gets with the EU, they should put it back to the people for another say.
Remain should be on the ballot paper, and the party will campaign for us to stay against the wishes of five million of his own voters.
He told the BBC this afternoon: "Any deal that goes before Parliament - no-deal or a Tory deal - should be put to a put to a public vote so the people can decide whether they wish to accept that position or there's an alternative to remain in the EU."
Labour will try to force a vote on a second referendum in either July or September, he hinted, promising to "make the case to Parliament".
He insisted that his party has tried to respect the result and he was "not at all" worried about voters flocking from Labour.
"I've made it very clear, our important position now is to prevent a no-deal scenario at the end of this," he stressed.
But the leftie Labour boss has refused to say what he will do in the event that his party wins a general election.
Labour sources said today that their election manifesto policy - which could be needed in a matter of weeks - has yet to be decided.
He told the Beeb: "We'll decide our policy when the election comes."
MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle said: "Policy that matters now is what we do now.
"The union proposal is in a General Election, we renegotiate a deal and then campaign on the side which best meets our 6 tests. Which unless a unicorn is produced, only Remain best fits the 6 tests."
Critics cried it was still a Labour "fudge" on the biggest issue facing British politics today, and MPs in Leave seats said they couldn't support it.
MP Kevin Barron, who is stepping down whenever the next election is held, said: "Whilst I remain an MP I will never support a second referendum in any form, the decision to leave the EU was made in 2016 and we should respect that!"
Mr Corbyn still insisted that his "compromise plan" for Brexit - with a customs union and close relationship with the single market - was a good one.
"We continue to believe this is a sensible alternative that could bring the country together," he wrote in a letter to party members this morning.
I want to make it clear that Labour would campaign for Remain against either No Deal or a Tory deal that does not protect the economy and jobs
Jeremy Corbyn
That could mean if Labour win a snap election that they might take us out with a soft Brexit deal instead, further ripping his party in two.
The news comes after a crunch meeting of Labour's top team to thrash out the policy this morning, which will abandon its traditional voters in the heartlands of Britain who have loyally backed them for years.
And it follows a long consultation with union bosses and Labour's members too - most of whom want to Remain in the EU.
MPs fear that millions of voters will now abandon the party for good and flock to the Brexit Party instead, who have made huge gains since they were set up later this year.
Nigel Farage's venture have taken chunks of support from both Labour and the Tories as they punish the main parties for refusing to deliver Brexit.
Tories came out to slam Labour's massive switch and betrayal of the historic 2016 vote.
Leadership contender Jeremy Hunt said earlier: "Jeremy Corbyn has never believed in Britain. In this country we deliver the will of the people.
"We will deliver Brexit and make a success of it."
Simon Clarke MP tweeted: "People who voted to leave and then trusted what Labour told you in 2017 about respecting your decision - you have been totally sold out."
And David Jones added: "If you want Brexit, you have to back Boris."
The major shift shows the Labour boss has finally caved to the Remainers in his party, who have been campaigning for another Brexit referendum for months.
Top members of his shadow cabinet including John McDonnell, Tom Watson and Emily Thornberry have been on his back to change stance quickly to save the party's skin.
Mr McDonnell and Mr Abbott are said to have furiously confronted him in recent weeks to ditch crucial aides who are trying to block the party moving to a Remain stance.
Mr Corbyn’s circle of domineering senior advisers – dubbed “the Three Ms” because of their surnames – then talked Mr Corbyn out of it.
The trio are communications boss Seumas Milne, chief of staff Karie Murphy and policy guru Andrew Murray.
They are currently polling at as low as 18 per cent in national polls.
Mr Corbyn has been under huge pressure to decide on his party's stance before a snap election - which could come within weeks of the new PM coming to power.
Remain supporter Lord Adonis said: “Jeremy’s letter is unsatisfactory as it doesn’t rule out Labour seeking to negotiate a fantasy ‘better Brexit’.
“Time for weasel words and policy feints is over. Labour is a Remain party. We need an unambiguously Remain policy.”
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Corbyn's letter in full
Dear member,
I am proud to lead the Labour Party – the greatest political party and social movement in this country.
We all recognise that the issue of Brexit has been divisive in our communities and sometimes in our party too.
As democrats, Labour accepted the result of the 2016 referendum. In our 2017 manifesto, Labour also committed to oppose a No Deal Brexit and the Tories’ Brexit plans – which threatened jobs, living standards, and the open multicultural society that we as internationalists value so much.
I want to pay tribute to Keir Starmer and the shadow Brexit team for holding the Government to account during this process. That helped secure a meaningful vote on their deal – which we then defeated three times – including inflicting the largest ever defeat on any Government. And following their refusal to publish their legal advice, this Government became the first to be held in contempt of Parliament.
Labour set out a compromise plan to try to bring the country together based around a customs union, a strong single market relationship and protection of environmental regulations and rights at work. We continue to believe this is a sensible alternative that could bring the country together.
But the Prime Minister refused to compromise and was unable to deliver, so we ended cross-party talks.
Now both Tory leadership candidates are threatening a No Deal Brexit - or at best a race to the bottom and a sweetheart deal with Donald Trump: that runs down industry, opens up our NHS and other public services to yet more privatisation, and shreds environmental protections, rights at work and consumer standards.
I have spent the past few weeks consulting with the shadow cabinet, MPs, affiliated unions and the NEC. I have also had feedback from members via the National Policy Forum consultation on Brexit.
Whoever becomes the new Prime Minister should have the confidence to put their deal, or No Deal, back to the people in a public vote.
In those circumstances, I want to make it clear that Labour would campaign for Remain against either No Deal or a Tory deal that does not protect the economy and jobs.
Labour has a crucial, historic duty to safeguard jobs, rights and living standards. But no Brexit outcome alone can do that.
We need a general election. After nine years of austerity, too many people in this country cannot find decent secure well-paid work, and have to rely on public services that have been severely cut back.
Our country is ravaged by inequality and rising poverty, huge regional imbalances of investment, and the government is failing to tackle the climate emergency facing us all.
That is why we need a Labour government to end austerity and rebuild our country for the many not the few.
Yours
Jeremy Corbyn
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And the huge news for Labour comes just a day before a damning BBC Panorama programme is expected to reveal the inside story of how the party deals with anti-Semitism claims.
The party has said the documentary is biased and features a string of comments from ex-staffers who have an "axe to grind".
Critics said the party was releasing its huge news to try and bury the bad news from the documentary.
John McDonnell rubbishes claims of huge split between him and Jeremy Corbyn
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