Labour leader insists ‘catastrophic’ prospect must be ruled out before parties can discuss next move

Jeremy Corbyn has said he will not hold talks with Theresa May until the prime minister agrees to remove the threat of a no-deal Brexit, ruling out any meeting with the prime minister in the immediate aftermath of the no-confidence vote.

Responding to May’s offer of swift talks to break the Brexit impasse, the Labour leader told MPs that before he would entertain “positive discussions about the way forward” she had to agree to his precondition.

“The government must remove clearly once and for all the catastrophe of a no-deal exit from the European Union and all the chaos that would result from that,” Corbyn said minutes after the opposition party was defeated in the confidence vote.

Minutes after the exchanges in the Commons, with Downing Street refusing to take no deal off the table, Corbyn’s spokesman said that as things stood, the Labour leader would not take up May’s offer of an evening Brexit meeting.

'Either he backs Brexit, or the people': the Commons no-confidence debate in quotes Read more

The two sides were still in discussions, but in light of such a fundamental difference, appeared unlikely to come to an agreement to speak in the immediate future – even though only 10 weeks remain until the UK’s planned departure date.

When asked directly if Corbyn was going to No10, the spokesman added: “As I understand it that is not going to take place.”

Labour is willing to support a Brexit deal if May will accept a customs union, a close relationship with the single market and enhanced protections for workers and consumers rights. However, this would represent a massive shift for the prime minister and risk splits in her own party, making it hard to see how a deal could be agreed. Corbyn’s spokesman acknowledged this, saying, “Any change in the government red lines will cause them internal splits.”

With the Brexit impasse no closer to being resolved, Corbyn is also under growing pressure from second referendum campaigners to embrace a fresh vote as a way forward.

Earlier on Wednesday, half a dozen Labour MPs came out in support of a second referendum for the first time at a Westminster photocall, arguing that it was the “the only logical option” if the party could not secure a general election.

But the timing of their demand, a couple of hours before Jeremy Corbyn opened the no-confidence debate, irritated the party’s leadership, who said afterwards that another national poll was “not the default option” if the Commons vote was lost.

Debbie Abrahams and Lilian Greenwood, both former frontbenchers, were among 71 MPs who signed a statement saying the party must back a second referendum hours before Corbyn was due to move a vote of no confidence. The statement said: “We must try and remove this government from office as soon as possible … But the removal of the government and pushing for a general election may prove impossible.”

In that situation, the MPs called on Labour to “join trade unions, our members and a majority of our constituents by then unequivocally backing the only logical option to help our country move forward: putting the decision back to the people for a final say, in a public vote, with the option to stay and keep the deal that we have”.

But at lunchtime, when Corbyn’s spokesman was asked if the MPs’ actions were a distraction, he replied: “Right now the priority is to bring about a general election; we’ve got a no-confidence motion down today.”

Frustration about the timing of the MPs’ actions – some of whom want Labour to move to supporting a second referendum within days – spilled into the open when Joe Bradley, a member of staff in the leader’s office, tweeted: “Not one of these MPs cares about removing a Tory government” in response to a picture of the photocall.

Bradley, who is responsible for trade union and NEC relations, subsequently deleted the tweet, and then his Twitter account, and Corbyn’s office said it did not comment on staffing matters.

What are the alternatives to May's rejected Brexit deal? Read more

Other MPs who had not previously declared their support for another referendum included John Grogan, Graham Jones, Stephen Morgan and Matt Western, according to the organisers of the statement released on Wednesday morning.

The expectation that Labour would lose the vote of no confidence had added to pressure for the party to back a second referendum, despite the reservations of the party’s leadership. Labour’s repeatedly stated policy was to press for an election after May’s deal was voted down, but then to consider a second referendum as an option if no election could be secured.

Stephen Doughty, one of the organisers of the declaration, said Labour’s leadership had “good reasons” for taking its time. But he added: “The clock is ticking, therefore we have to move forward, because it’s jobs, it’s investments, it’s our public services that are at risk.”

Other Labour sources closer to the party’s leadership said only a handful of MPs had supported a fresh referendum for the first time, and noted that the number who signed the declaration was well below the 100 figure that had been touted earlier.

The organisers of the letter said there were a further 24 Labour MPs who supported a second referendum who had not signed the statement for administrative reasons, or because their position was already well known.

Other Labour MPs called on Corbyn to act more quickly if the confidence vote was defeated. Bridget Phillipson said: “In the event we don’t succeed in securing a general election, we should commit immediately to going back to the people in a fresh referendum.”