Labour ‘could back Brexit in a People’s Vote’, frontbencher claims

Shami Chakrabarti. Photograph: Chris Radburn/PA. - Credit: PA Archive/Press Association Ima

A Labour frontbencher may not campaign in support of a Remain vote if a People’s Vote was held, Shami Chakrabarti claimed.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Chakrabarti said that a public vote – a general election or a People’s Vote – would be a “reluctant means of breaking a deadlock”.

When asked if Labour would back Remain, she said it would “depend on what the deal was” and would be decided by voters in a general election.

She said that backing was “not what had been agreed”. She suggested instead that voters could instead be asked to back the party’s own version of Brexit.

She said: “We didn’t win the election and we couldn’t get our deal or anything like it through parliament. Parliament is split. A general election or a public vote would now be the means of breaking the deadlock.

“As to whether we would take one line or another in a referendum that would depend on what the deal was.

“Was it going to be a Labour deal with the closest possible relationship with Europe or was it going to be a deal that we thought was going to be less than satisfactory.”

Chakrabarti added that the party had made clear it would “honour the referendum” at the last election.