Jonathan Ashworth said a referendum was the only way to break the deadlock

A second referendum is the most likely outcome of the Brexit stalemate, one of Jeremy Corbyn’s most senior shadow ministers has said.

A day after the Labour leader moved closer than ever towards backing a referendum on any deal, Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, said that a fresh vote was “very likely”.

Asked on the BBC programme Politics Live if a vote was the most likely eventuality, Mr Ashworth replied: “I think it probably is because parliament is deadlocked. At some point Tory MPs are going to have to understand that . . . even if Boris Johnson becomes the prime minister parliament has ruled out no deal [and] something needs to happen to break the deadlock in parliament. If they’re not prepared to