Second Brexit vote some way off: Corbyn

JeremyCorbyn has said a second referendum is “some way off” and that Labourstill wants to negotiate a better Brexit deal, resisting pressure fromshadow cabinet ministers to commit to campaigning immediately for apublic vote.Speaking in Dublin, the Labour leader said the only wayto break the deadlock would be a general election or a second referendumafter negotiating a softer Brexit deal with Brussels.Corbyn saidthere must not be a repeat of the 2016 referendum on Britain’s EUmembership, and argued that Labour could strike a better agreement withBrussels that would include a customs union, which would then be put to apublic vote.He said: “We don’t back a rerun of 2016. That happened.That is gone. What I do say is that if parliament comes to anagreement, then it’s reasonable, and if parliament wishes it, thereshould be a public vote on it but that is some way off.”Speaking toreporters before meetings with Irish politicians and trade unions,Corbyn said Labour would still like a deal negotiated with the EU thatincludes a customs union and greater protections for workers’ rights andenvironmental standards.He also could not say definitively thatremaining in the EU would be on the ballot paper in a public vote,suggesting the choice would be about whatever deal was negotiated.Corbynsaid: “I would go back to the EU, explain that we had fought anelection campaign in order to make sure there was a good relationshipwith Europe in the future, that we weren’t afraid of public opinion onthis, and ask them to seriously consider what we are suggesting, whichis a customs union with a British say and trade relationship withEurope, and a dynamic relationship on rights which would not beundermining Europe on workers’ rights, on consumer rights, onenvironmental protections.”Corbyns’s remarks leave open the optionof Labour campaigning in favour of a Brexit deal in any secondreferendum, rather than for the option of remaining in the EU, which isfavoured by many shadow cabinet ministers.Corbyn also said he woulddo whatever was necessary to stop a no-deal Brexit, which could includeworking with Conservative moderates to bring the government down.“Facedwith the threat of no-deal and a prime minister with no mandate, theonly way out of the Brexit crisis ripping our country apart is now to goback to the people,” he said. “Let the people decide the country’sfuture, either in a general election or through a public vote on anydeal agreed by parliament. For Labour any outcome has to work for ourwhole country, not just one side of this deliberately inflamed divide.”Labour’spreference is still for a general election but Corbyn’s tone on asecond referendum shifted earlier this week to say he would back a pollon any deal. The move came after Labour fell to third place in theEuropean elections on just 14% of the vote, losing ground to both theLiberal Democrats and the Greens.In contrast, Tom Watson, Labour’sdeputy leader, is campaigning for Labour to get fully behind a secondreferendum. He released the results of a survey suggesting that the vastmajority of Labour members who replied wanted an all-member ballot todecide on whether to change the party’s Brexit policy.