Labour party leader, under pressure, backs a new Brexit referendum

After the resignations of nine Labour Party members last week, and amid the prospect of more, the party’s leader, Jeremy Corbyn, dropped his long-standing resistance to a second vote on leaving the bloc.

Opposition leader pushes for parliament vote on new Brexit referendum — FILE PHOTO: Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party, pauses as he gives a speech days after he called a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Theresa May’s government, in Hastings, Britain, January 17, 2019. (REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo)

Written by Stephen Castle

Britain’s opposition Labour Party said Monday that it was prepared to support a second referendum on withdrawal from the European Union, a shift that could have significant ramifications for the fate of Brexit and for the country’s future.

After the resignations of nine Labour Party members last week, and amid the prospect of more, the party’s leader, Jeremy Corbyn, dropped his long-standing resistance to a second vote on leaving the bloc.

Getting an amendment for a new vote through Parliament any time soon is unlikely, but Corbyn’s support for one will cheer pro-European Britons, who have been fighting to reverse the outcome of the 2016 referendum decision. Without the support of Labour, there is no chance of a second referendum ever being authorized by lawmakers.

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Though lacking in detail, Labour’s announcement suggested that, under pressure from many of his own lawmakers and party members, Corbyn, who is a lifelong critic of the European Union, will ultimately fall into line with those who support a so-called people’s vote.

The move carries considerable risks, as a considerable minority of traditional Labour districts, particularly in the country’s hard-pressed north, voted strongly to leave the European Union in the first referendum.