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Jeremy Corbyn will look back on 2017 as a golden year when he defied critics, delighted his fans, and led Labour to an increased majority in a snap election – but he will be disappointed if this is the high-water mark of his career.

His task now is to build on the momentum which saw Labour win 30 new seats and grow support in the swing seats he needs to turn red if he is to stand a chance of entering Downing Street as Prime Minister.

A key challenge in 2018 will be providing leadership on Britain’s future relationship with Europe as the prospect of the UK’s March 2019 ejection from the EU races into view.

He needs to keep the support of Remain voters who want the closest possible relationship with the EU without alienating people in traditional Labour heartlands where there was a resounding vote to leave in the 2016 referendum.

It will become clear during the year ahead whether Britain is on course to secure an exit deal or if there is a strong chance of a “hard Brexit”. If so, Mr Corbyn may well face louder calls within his own party to commit to a second EU referendum.

He came under intense attack in the wake of the 2016 referendum for a perceived lack of enthusiasm on the campaign trail. Brexit could once again expose divisions in the party if he is seen to drop the ball at this juncture in the UK’s history.

Professor Roger Scully of Cardiff University’s Wales Governance Centre described Brexit as “the most important, defining issue in UK politics,” adding that “2018 is going to be the year when reality is going to have to be faced in some way”.

(Image: Andrew James)

Prof Scully described how pro-EU voters were attracted to Labour in the June election, saying: “They became the most viable party to turn to for people who were not happy with the idea... They are going to have to come up with a more coherent, compelling stance on this issue.”

Prominent Labour supporters of a second referendum include Cynon Valley MP Ann Clwyd. In July, she argued that “in a democracy it’s always possible for people to think again and choose another direction”.

Newport West Labour MP Paul Flynn has also backed a second referendum, saying: “I think second thoughts are always better than the first thoughts... The choice last time – and I said it at the time – was between Operation Fear and Operation Lies.”

However, Darren Williams , a member of UK Labour’s National Executive Committee and the secretary of the pro-Corbyn Welsh Labour Grassroots organisation, does not back the party committing to a second referendum.

He said: “Although I supported Remain and still believe we would be better off staying in the EU I think it would be a mistake for Labour to commit itself to a second referendum. It’s pretty clear that, for many people, the Leave vote reflected a sense of political disenfranchisement as much as any opposition to the EU as such.

“Whatever we may think of the referendum result we have to respect the democratic verdict of the people; to do otherwise risks perpetuating the idea that none of the mainstream political parties are listening to ordinary people.”

But he added: “When the final Brexit terms are known we may find that there is a shift in public opinion, against leaving the EU, and under those circumstances a second referendum might be a possibility. But, for now, I think Labour should continue on its present course.”

The Labour leader in Colwyn Bay the day before the last election:

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Pundits are still debating how Mr Corbyn succeeded in delivering the largest increase in vote share in a single election since 1945.

Cardiff University’s Prof Scully said that initially he thought the election would be “a complete catastrophe for the Labour party” but then “it all changed”.

He argues Theresa May had “a bit of a meltdown on the campaign trail” and this contrast with the strong and stable leadership she promised “undermined much of the basis of the whole campaign”.

Plus, Mr Corbyn clearly relished campaigning.

Prof Scully said: “You could start to see why he’d won the Labour leadership so convincingly in the first place. Once he was out on the campaign trail, as he’d been within the party in 2015, he really started to flourish...

“He actually started to look a more convincing party leader on the campaign leader than Theresa May did or indeed than Ed Miliband or Gordon Brown had ever done. I think very few people, me included, would have expected that.”

However, he saw challenges ahead for Mr Corbyn, saying: “There remain big internal divisions within the Labour party, [it is] just at the moment Corbyn is in a sufficiently strong position that none of his critics are going to challenge him.”