The Labour leadership is facing a backlash from party members and its own MPs after John McDonnell said any future Brexit referendum should not include the option of remaining in the EU.
The shadow chancellor said that, if Labour does eventually support another public vote, it would only be on "the terms of Brexit" and would not give the public the chance to reverse the result of the 2016 referendum.
The issue has dominated the party's annual conference in Liverpool. Last night, a tense six-hour meeting saw delegates agree a motion on Brexit that will be voted on later in the week.
The text commits the party to "support all options remaining on the table including campaigning for a public vote" but makes clear that Labour would prefer a general election.
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Flights will be grounded if Britain crashes out of the EU next March unless an emergency aviation deal can be struck, the government has admitted.
The latest batch of advice papers also warned food producers that pre-packed products “would no longer be valid for the EU market”, without a separate EU business address.
Conservative MEPs have received a letter from Hungary's far-right leader Viktor Orban, expressing his "gratitude" for their decision to oppose a recent vote in the European Parliament against his government.
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Labour’s Brexit spokesman Sir Keir Starmer has said Labour’s approach to a new referendum to be agreed at conference does not rule out an option to stay in the EU.
The comments fly in the face of others made by shadow chancellor John McDonnell and Unite leader Len McCluskey who had said they believed the best approach to any new referendum would exclude an option to remain in the bloc.
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Away from Liverpool, Jacob Rees-Mogg has called on Theresa May to make "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" Canada-style trade deal with the EU.
The leading Brexiteer was speaking at the launch of a new Brexit proposal by the right-wing Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) think tank.
The report calls for ministers to ditch plans for a comprehensive withdrawal agreement deal with the EU and instead agree a "basic" free trade agreement for goods.
Mr Rees-Mogg said:
"So much of what hear about these negotiations has been about managing decline, has been about how you have the least bad Brexit, this is about how you can have a fantastic Brexit that sets us up for the next generation and ensures our prosperity.
"This has been offered to us by the Commission, they have offered us the best trade deal they have ever done with any country ever in the world, so if you want to call it Canada plus, or super Canada or supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Canada, that is what is being aimed and its being offered."
People accusing Jeremy Corbyn of antisemitism 'have lost every shred of decency', Len McCluskey says
Union boss and key Corbyn ally claims 'venomous' critics of Labour leader 'have lost every sense of moral proportion'"The question of a public vote should be open. We weren't ruling out options and nobody was ruling out Remain. There were 300 people in the room and that was absolutely clear."
Labour to consider scrapping Universal Credit in major overhaul of 'toxic' welfare system, speech reveals
Margaret Greenwood, the shadow work and pensions secretary, will announce a major review of the 'toxic' welfare system“The only new idea in John Healey’s speech is to create yet another new union, which appears to be Labour’s solution to everything. Already hard-pressed renters will be asked to pay another £100 a year to this union on top of their rent.“John Healey offers nothing on building the homes our country needs.“It is the Conservatives who are leading the way in tenants’ rights, devolving power and fixing the housing market.”
"Nationalisation will not be a return to the past. We don’t want to take power away from faceless directors to a Whitehall office, to swap one remote manager for another.Today, Rebecca Long Bailey and I are launching a large scale consultation on democracy in our public services. We are also setting out our plans for a new publicly-owned water system that puts this essential service back in the hands of local councils, workers and customers."
"We will legislate for large companies to transfer shares into an 'Inclusive Ownership Fund.' The shares will be held and managed collectively by the workers.The shareholding will give workers the same rights as other shareholders to have a say over the direction of their company. And dividend payments will be made directly to the workers from the fund.Payments could be up to £500 a year. That’s 11 million workers each with a greater say, and a greater stake, in the rewards of their labour."
On another busy day, Mr McDonnell also announced plans to give workers a 10 per cent stake in their companies.
The shadow chancellor said his proposal for "inclusive ownerships funds" would make employees up to £500 a year better off.
The Independent has launched its #FinalSay campaign to demand that voters are given a voice on the final Brexit deal.
Sign our petition here
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