Shadow chancellor John McDonnell may be more open to the idea of ‘remain’ being on a second ballot

John McDonnell has admitted that a second referendum is more likely than a general election amid claims that he is warming to the idea of a second vote.

Labour’s official policy is to press for a general election if the Commons rejects Theresa May’s Brexit deal in a “meaningful vote”, before considering the option of a so-called “people’s vote”. Yet the shadow chancellor conceded yesterday that a general election “could prove difficult” because of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, which allows for an early election only if two-thirds of MPs vote in favour.

The shift in stance, which emerged in an interview with Sky News, comes after McDonnell met Roland Rudd, one of the architects of the “remain” campaign. Party insiders say the pair have met