Sir Keir Starmer Demands New Referendum Ahead Of New Brexit Talks

13 May 2019, 07:54 | Updated: 13 May 2019, 09:08

The shadow Brexit secretary says it's "impossible" to see how a cross-party deal would pass the Commons without the guarantee of a public "confirmatory vote".

Talks between Cabinet ministers and senior Labour figures are due to resume later.

Sir Keir Starmer has warned two-thirds of Labour MPs would reject a withdrawal agreement that doesn't include a new referendum.

Speaking to the Guardian, he said: "A significant number of Labour MPs, probably 120 if not 150, would not back a deal if it hasn't got a confirmatory vote.

"If the point of the exercise is to get a sustainable majority, over several weeks or months of delivering on the implementation, you can't leave a confirmatory vote out of the package.

"I've made it clear that at this stage, at this 11th hour, any deal that comes through from this Government ought to be subject to the lock of a confirmatory vote."

Sir Keir insisted he would not be afraid to pull the plug on talks with the government if Mrs May did not compromise on her red lines, adding: "I do think we do probably in the coming days need to make that assessment".

Labour aren't in complete agreement on a confirmatory referendum. While Sir Keir and deputy leader Tom Watson are keen, Rebecca Long-Bailey, also on the negotiating team, is believed to be less keen.