Labour is not taking the option of a fresh EU referendum off the table, shadow chancellor John McDonnell has said as he also warned about the potential of the far right in Britain to exploit the issue.
The remarks from one of Jeremy Corbyn’s most senior allies came after the party’s Brexit spokesman made similar comments but another cabinet colleague argued a second public vote could lead to civil disobedience and social disruption in the UK.
Mr McDonnell also described the government’s release of 24 technical notes – outlining official preparations for a no-deal scenario – as “extremely worrying” and said Labour will fight a disorderly Brexit.
Appearing on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Mr McDonnell was asked to clarify Labour’s position on a second EU referendum after Sir Keir Starmer made clear the option is possible if parliament rejects Theresa May’s agreement with Brussels or if a no-deal exit is looming.
But the previous day, Barry Gardiner, the shadow international trade secretary, rallied against a fresh vote, suggesting it would undermine democracy and could result in “social disruption, perhaps civil disobedience”.
Mr McDonnell said: “It’s not Labour Party policy to have another referendum, we respect the past referendum but we recognise that when the government comes forward with its proposals, if it does I’m worried we might be in a no-deal situation, but when the government comes forward with its proposals, parliament will decide the next step.
“So we’re not saying any options [are] off the table when that debate happens.”
“My own view is as I’ve said consistently, the Labour Party is not opposed to any kind of democratic engagement – I’d prefer a general election.”
He added: “Barry [Gardiner] was right: we have to be extremely careful. A number of us now are worried about the rise of the far right in this country and elsewhere. What we must not do is open up any opportunity for the far right exploiting this issue. Barry is right to caution how we handle this issue.”
Mr McDonnell also said Philip Hammond, the chancellor, had threw a “hand grenade” into the no-deal Brexit debate after publishing a letter warning of the fiscal consequences of such a scenario just hours after his cabinet colleague attempted to play down the risks involved.
“We’ve been trying to avoid a no-deal all the way along and we’ve been trying to engage constructively with government to ensure we get a proper negotiated deal as soon as possible to give the security to our economy,” the shadow chancellor added.
“The problem that we’ve got is political. What we saw yesterday was a faction fight in public by the Conservative Party. Dominic Raab setting out the proposals what happens on a no-deal, which were extremely worrying, extremely worrying. And then within minutes the chancellor then throws a hand grenade into the whole debate with his predictions about the implications for the economy.”
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