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John McDonnell today said Labour is “moving towards” a second referendum on Brexit that would give Britons the chance to stay in the European Union.

In an exclusive interview with the Evening Standard, the shadow chancellor also called on Labour to move “quicker and fiercer” against anti-Semitism, and expressed regret for “not enough action” in the past.

A ninth Labour MP quit the party today, citing disgust over the failure to crack down on anti-Semitism and intolerance” under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.

Ian Austin, a former close aide to Gordon Brown, said the party was being “tougher on the people complaining about anti-Semitism than it is on the anti-Semites”.

With Labour reeling from a week of turmoil, Mr McDonnell held out olive branches on the two big issues that the defectors complained about: Brexit and anti-Semitism.

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He gave his strongest indication yet that Labour is close to backing a second public vote and said he would campaign for Remain if one is held.

“On the people’s vote, we’ve kept it on the table and we’re moving towards that,” he said.

He said an amendment calling for a public vote which is being tabled for debate next week by Labour MPs Peter Kyle and Phil Wilson “could be a solution”.

The amendment, which was reportedly endorsed by shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer at a planning meeting this week, would offer Theresa May’s deal an easy ride in the Commons if she put it to a binding yes-no vote of the public.

Mr McDonnell revealed the two backbenchers had been asked to redraft the amendment. And he said that if the Prime Minister’s deal was rejected by the public, Britain would remain in the EU by default.

“If we were going on a people’s vote based on a deal that has gone through Parliament in some form, if that got voted down then you’d have status quo, and that would be Remain,” he said.

His words clashed with those of Unite union leader Len McCluskey who said on Wednesday Remain should not be on the ballot paper as it was “not the best option for our nation”.

Mr Corbyn was reported in the Guardian to be edging closer to backing a referendum, while The Times said Labour faced mass defections to The Independent Group of former Labour and Tory MPs if he refused.

Mr McDonnell said Remain should be an option in a referendum and said Labour was “moving into implementation stages around our conference decision, around the People’s Vote”.

Asked how would he vote, he said firmly: “I’ve said all along if there was another one I’d campaign for Remain and I’d vote for Remain.”

In the same interview, Mr McDonnell criticised his party for moving too slowly and softly against anti-Semitism. “We’ve got to be quicker, and we’ve got to be fiercer,” he said. “I think there’s been a lot of listening but not enough action. That’s the problem.”

Speaking of the criticisms made by eight Labour MPs who formed The Independent Group this week, Mr McDonnell agreed that clear-cut cases of anti-Semitism had not led to enough swift punishment.

His response contrasts starkly with hostility from Mr Corbyn’s office which accused the eight defectors of defending “austerity [and] corporate tax cuts”, while Mr McCluskey dismissed the anti-Semitism row as “contrived”.