Labour has further backed away from its support for a fresh Brexit referendum by saying it no longer supports a public vote on Theresa May’s deal.

A spokesman for Jeremy Corbyn said the party was ditching demands for Ms May to put her deal to a public vote if it passes parliament, because her plan was no longer “credible”.

Labour had previously called for the public to be given a Final Say referendum if MPs do finally pass Ms May’s deal.

However, it now says it would “not be right” for the prime minister’s plan to be put to the public after it was rejected by MPs last night for a second time,

The announcement marks a further watering-down of the party’s pledge to back another referendum. The Independent revealed last week that Labour had almost immediately ditched its promise to support a public vote on “whatever deal” is agreed by parliament and was instead only calling for a public vote on Ms May’s withdrawal plan.

Having now said it would not support a referendum on this either, it is unclear what sort of Brexit deal, if any, Labour would want to see put to the public.

A spokesman for Mr Corbyn said: “Theresa May’s deal has now been overwhelmingly rejected twice, so we’re not calling for a referendum against her overwhelmingly rejected deal.

He added: “Clearly May’s deal has been overwhelmingly rejected and it is loathed by almost all parts of the political spectrum. Therefore clearly it would not be right for that deal in its current form to be put to a referendum.”

Only last week, however, the party said it would order its MPs to support a Commons motion, tabled by Labour backbenchers Peter Kyle and Phil Wilson, calling for a public vote on Ms May’s deal if it is approved by MPs.

And Mr Corbyn has previously said the prime minister’s plan must be put to a “confirmatory public vote” if it is passed by parliament.

Labour now sees a fresh referendum as merely one of several ways to block a no-deal Brexit or an exit deal it does not support. It is also working to build a Commons consensus behind a softer Brexit that would see the UK stay in a customs union with the EU and maintain close ties to the single market.

Papers react to the Brexit vote Show all 10 1 /10 Papers react to the Brexit vote Papers react to the Brexit vote The Guardian The Guardian highlights just how soon the Prime Minister's defeat has come Britain's scheduled date of departure Papers react to the Brexit vote Daily Mail The Daily Mail takes aim at MPs who political editor Jason Groves claims have "plunged Britain into chaos" by rejecting the Prime Minister's deal Papers react to the Brexit vote The Independent Daily Edition The Independent calls for a second referendum as a way forward Papers react to the Brexit vote Daily Express The Daily Express leads with exasperation, with political editor Macer Hall writing that "Brexit was hanging in the balance last night" Papers react to the Brexit vote The Sun The Sun take the Prime Minister's "croaky" voice into account as it reports on last night's "Brexit shambles" Papers react to the Brexit vote Financial Times The Financial Times claims that the Prime Minister's authority is "in shreds" and reports on the fall in the pound in the wake of the vote Papers react to the Brexit vote The Daily Telegraph The Daily Telegraph calls the Prime Minister's defeat "humiliating" and claims that a delay to Brexit is likely Papers react to the Brexit vote The i The i claims that parliament is "out of control" Papers react to the Brexit vote The Times The Times claims that Britain is in crisis and that the Prime Minister "may face resignation calls" Papers react to the Brexit vote Daily Mirror The Daily Mirror says that the Prime Minister "surrenders" in reference to the likelihood of Brexit being delayed after the vote

The spokesman said: “|n order to stop a damaging Tory Brexit or a no-deal outcome and find a way through the Brexit impasse, we support a general election, a public vote or finding a close economic relationship that can command the support of the Commons, be negotiated with the EU and bring Leave and Remain voters together.

In a hint that securing agreement for a Brexit deal remains the party’s priority, he added: “We said in our manifesto in 2017 that we respect the result of the referendum so it’s not our aim to overturn that result.”

Labour has said it would not necessarily want a referendum on a withdrawal deal the party supported.

Asked if the party would want to put a Labour-backed deal to a public vote, the spokesman said simply: “That doesn’t necessarily follow.”