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Jeremy Corbyn will haemorrhage support and hand Nigel Farage a huge victory in the European Parliament elections if he refuses to back another public vote on Brexit, a poll suggests today.

The YouGov survey shows Labour risks losing hundreds of thousands of voters if it campaigns for a customs union Brexit, similar to its current policy, before elections next month.

Mr Farage’s Brexit Party would storm to victory by 10 points over Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, according to the poll findings.

However, if Labour backs a second referendum on Brexit, it would gain 23 per cent of the vote, within reaching distance of challenging the Brexit Party for first place. Mr Farage’s party would score 26 per cent on the basis that it backs leaving with no deal.

Former foreign secretary Dame Margaret Beckett, who pushed a Commons move for a confirmatory vote on a Brexit deal, urged the Labour leader to get off the fence and firmly back giving the public another say on leaving the EU.

“If we hedge our bets or say we back another form of Brexit, Labour loses voters and Farage will storm to first place,” she said.

“It’s time to recognise that the best thing for both the country and the best thing for the Labour Party is to stand and fight the hard-Right by demanding a People’s Vote.”

Labour is deeply split over a second referendum. Mr Corbyn has come under growing pressure to move towards one from a string of shadow cabinet members, including shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry, shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer, and the party’s deputy leader Tom Watson.

Even shadow home secretary Diane Abbott and shadow attorney general Baroness Chakrabarti, both allies of Mr Corbyn, have made the case for another public vote in certain circumstances.

A second public vote is understood to be opposed by party chairman Ian Lavery and several of Mr Corbyn’s key aides.

However, the poll commissioned by the People’s Vote campaign is likely to fuel calls for Labour to toughen up its policy on going back to the public to decide Brexit given the gridlock in Parliament.

It showed that 22 per cent of adults in Britain are planning to vote Labour in the European elections on May 23, if they take place, five points behind the Brexit Party on 27 per cent.

The Conservatives are on 15 per cent, Greens 10 per cent, Lib Dems nine per cent, Ukip seven per cent, Change UK (The Independent Group) six per cent, and the SNP/Plaid Cymru four per cent.

However, if people are asked their intentions, on the basis that Labour is supporting going ahead with Brexit but staying in the customs union, the party sees its support drop to 15 per cent, with the Lib Dems gaining six points.

In contrast, if Labour supports a public vote on whether or not to go ahead with Brexit, it sees its support rise to 23 per cent, which includes half of 18 to 24-year-olds.

At least 30 per cent are saying they would either not vote, don’t know who to back, or refused to say — meaning all parties could do better than current findings if they have a successful campaign.

A Labour Party spokesman said: “In line with Labour’s policy and conference decision, we will continue to seek a majority in Parliament for a close economic relationship with the EU to break the deadlock or a public vote to avoid a damaging Tory Brexit or a no-deal outcome.”

Talks are continuing between the Government and Labour over a possible deal on Brexit, but expectations of striking an agreement are low. Ministers are desperate to avoid holding the European elections and if the negotiations with Labour collapse, a fresh attempt will be made to try to get Parliament to back some form of Brexit through a series of votes.

Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable today argued it would be better if Remain-supporting political parties, including Change UK, whose MPs include Chuka Umunna, “were fighting together under the same banner” in the European elections, but said such a suggestion had been rebuffed.

On Labour’s stance, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It would be a game-changer if they made it absolutely clear that in a referendum campaign they would campaign to remain within the EU. I find it difficult to see they could do that given that Jeremy Corbyn has said repeatedly he is there to deliver Brexit, but it certainly would change the nature of the argument.”

He also called for “proper televised debates” in coming weeks before polling day on May 23.

Town halls in London have started sending letters to hundreds of thousands of non-British EU citizens living in the capital telling them that they can vote here in the elections.

Lewisham, the lead borough for the election, explained: “If you are an EU citizen registered to vote in the UK, you are not automatically registered to vote at the European Parliamentary election on 23 May 2019.

“European Union citizens can choose to vote in the UK or their home country at this election. We are sending a registration form to all EU citizens who are on our electoral register. You must complete this form if you wish to vote in the UK.”

If the European elections are not staged in the UK, which the Government is desperately seeking to achieve by getting the Withdrawal Agreement Bill through Parliament, then EU citizens would still be able to vote in their home country even if they have registered to do so here. About one million non-UK EU citizens live in London.

EU leaders agreed at a summit earlier this month to delay Brexit until the end of October.

YouGov interviewed 1,855 adults in Britain between April 15 and 16. Data are weighted.