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Jeremy Corbyn refused to support a Labour Party press release on the benefits of Single Market membership during the EU referendum campaign.

The Labour leader and Shadow Chancellor didn't "politically support" research that showed membership could create 1.3million jobs in Britain, according to emails seen by BuzzFeed News .

Labour officials wanted Mr Corbyn to help promote a speech by deputy leader Tom Watson on June 14, nine days before the referendum.

But Andrew Fisher, Mr Corbyn's head of policy intervened, sending an email which read: "Neither LOTO [leader of the opposition] or STT [Shadow Treasury team] are happy to support this.

Yesterday, Jeremy Corbyn faced questions about whether he supported Britain retaining single market access as part of Brexit negotiations.

It follows months of questions over whether Mr Corbyn was lacklustre in his support for the remain campaign.

(Image: Reuters)

An email sent to senior Labour figures read: "This analysis is updated to reflect the Treasury now says the reforms to the single market could increase GDP by 4 per cent – leading to 1.3m jobs instead.

“There is also some new analysis in there about membership boosting labour productivity and in turn real wages between 1986 and 2011. Though topline will be how staying in EU could lead to more than a million new jobs. Any questions, please shout though we need to get a press release out ASAP”.

In reply, Mr Fisher wrote: "We don’t politically support many of the underlying assumptions in the CEBR report (let alone necessarily its methodology and conclusions).

(Image: Getty)

"We are not backing TTIP and we do not have a position on further liberalisation of the markets mentioned.

"Neither LOTO nor STT are happy to support this."

The press release was sent out the following day, without Mr Corbyn's endorsement, and Mr Watson gave his speech as planned.

But in comments the same day to the BBC Mr Watson seemed to criticise Mr Corbyn's views on migration.

He said: "Much as Labour needs to argue strongly for staying in to protect workers’ rights, we also have to respond to concerns on immigration too."

A spokesperson for the Corbyn campaign told BuzzFeed: "The emails state why we didn’t support this briefing.”

They later added: “We will be pressing for full access to the European single market for goods and services… But there are directives and obligations linked to the single market, such as state aid rules and requirements to liberalise and privatise public services, which we would not want to see as part of a post-Brexit relationship.”