Hopes of a fundamental Labour shift to full-throated support for a second Brexit referendum were dashed as a shadow cabinet meeting broke up without agreement on a new policy.
The meeting came as 26 Labour MPs urged leader Jeremy Corbyn to back a deal which would take the UK out of the EU by 31 October, warning that a shift to a pro-Remain stance would be "toxic to bedrock Labour voters".
Speaking to shadow cabinet, Mr Corbyn restated his existing position that "it is now right to demand that any deal is put to a public vote", which could be a general election or a second referendum. And he said that any referendum ballot paper should contain "real choices for both leave and remain voters".
And he held out the possibility of an imminent speech to set out the party's position on Brexit, saying he wanted to "set out our views to the public" after consulting with trade unions next week.
But he stopped well short of agreeing to deputy leader Tom Watson's call for Labour to leader a full-scale summer campaign for a Final Say referendum and support for Remain.
Responding to Mr Corbyn's comment Labour frontbencher Rachael Maskell, of the pro-Remain Love Socialism Hate Brexit group, said the party must adopt a "crystal-clear" position of keeping the UK in Europe before Boris Johnson takes the reins of power next month.
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