Jeremy Corbyn has been reluctant to back a new referendum - insisting a general election is a better option, in line with official Labour policy

Labour activists piled more pressure on Jeremy Corbyn to endorse a second referendum on Brexit today.

A new internal campaign has circulated a draft motion to local Labour associations hoping to win endorsements for a referendum at the grassroots level.

Mr Corbyn has been reluctant to back a new referendum - insisting a general election is a better option, in line with official Labour policy.

But he is also facing mounting calls to call a vote of no confidence in the Government before the Christmas recess starts on Thursday.

Tory MPs have been ordered to stay near the Commons until Wednesday night in case Mr Corbyn moves - but senior Labour figures played down the prospect again today, insisting a vote would not happen before the main Brexit showdown happens in January.

Labour's hesitation has irritated other opposition parties and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said today her party could table its own motion - despite admitting only Mr Corbyn has the power to force a vote.

Activist Michael Chessum is behind the latest attempt to shift the party toward a new referendum, the Observer said.

Passing the motion at constituency level would not change policy in itself but would put pressure on Mr Corbyn.

Its motion says: 'The Tories' Brexit agenda will deregulate and destabilise the economy, attack our rights and freedoms, and undermine our ability to implement a radical manifesto.

'We welcome the call of conference to put a public vote firmly on the table as a means of stopping this agenda, not because we are fanatics for referendums, but because we need to stop the process by which Tory free-marketeers are driving British society off a cliff.

'Any public vote on Brexit must, to be meaningful, include an option to Remain.'

Nicola Sturgeon told Sky News's Ridge On Sunday (pictured), a no confidence motion in Parliament would 'help clarify Labour's position' even if it failed to topple the Government

It adds: 'Labour must campaign for a public vote on Brexit with an option to Remain, and include such a vote in our manifesto.'

Ms Sturgeon told Sky News's Ridge On Sunday, a no confidence motion in Parliament would 'help clarify Labour's position' even if it failed to topple the Government.

She said: 'Labour's position right now is it won't back a second EU referendum until it has tried and failed to trigger a general election, but if it won't try to trigger a general election then we're in this catch-22 position.

'It seems to me right now that Labour is as much of a barrier to making progress on Brexit as the Tories are.'

But shadow communities minister Andrew Gwynne said Labour will not call a confidence vote on the Government until after a meaningful vote.

Mr Gwynne, who is also the party's election co-ordinator, told the BBC's Andrew Marr: 'The main thing we want next week is to have that meaningful vote on the Withdrawal Agreement... we want that before Christmas.

'Parliament has to decide whether or not it supports the Prime Minister's deal and fundamentally until we secure that meaningful vote from the Parliament we can't move to the next stage.

'We think that's the next logical step because we want to make sure Parliament has its say on what's a catastrophically bad deal for this country and then we can move on beyond that.'