Labour leader says public vote on eventual deal will not be in manifesto after initially refusing to dismiss the idea

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Jeremy Corbyn has ruled out offering a referendum on an eventual Brexit deal, after a morning of mounting speculation when the Labour leader and his shadow chancellor initially refused to emphatically dismiss the idea of a second poll.

Answering media questions following a passionate speech to formally launch Labour’s general election campaign, Corbyn was asked about reports that the party could offer a second referendum.



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He avoided the issue directly, referring only to the party’s red-line aims for Brexit negotiations. “Primarily, it’s about getting and retaining tariff-free access to the European market,” he said.

“We haven’t threatened to turn Britain into an offshore tax haven on the shores of Europe, undermining the European economy,” Corbyn added, saying Labour wanted a “good process by which we continue to trade with Europe”.

John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, who was attending the speech in Westminster, was asked repeatedly about a second referendum by reporters afterwards, but declined to give an answer.

Mid-afternoon, however, the leaders’ office issued a statement, which definitively ruled out a second referendum as a manifesto pledge. “A second referendum is not our policy and it won’t be in our manifesto,” a spokesman said.

It followed a bullish and impassioned speech by Corbyn in which he characterised the 8 June election as a straight choice between the Conservatives as “the party of privilege and the richest”, and a Labour party fighting for everyone.

“It’s the establishment versus the people, and it’s our historic duty to make sure the people prevail,” he said, to cheers.



Play Video 1:45 Journalist booed after asking Corbyn about 'Islington elite' – video

Corbyn dismissed the idea that the Conservatives’ big poll lead made a big majority for Theresa May inevitable.

“Much of the media and establishment are saying that this election is a foregone conclusion,” he said. “They think there are rules in politics, which if you don’t follow by doffing your cap to powerful people, accepting that things can’t really change, then you can’t win.

“But of course, they do not want us to win. Because when we win it is the people, not the powerful, who win. The nurse, the teacher, the small trader, the carer, the builder, the office worker, the student, the carer win. We all win.

“It is the establishment that complains I don’t play by the rules – by which they mean their rules. We can’t win, they say, because we don’t play their game.”

A political system based around “yesterday’s rules” favoured the wealthy, Corbyn argued. He said: “It is these rules that have allowed a cosy cartel to rig the system in favour of a few powerful and wealthy individuals and corporations.

“It is a rigged system set up by the wealth extractors, for the wealth extractors. But things can, and they will, change.

“If I were Southern rail or Philip Green, I’d be worried about a Labour government. If I were Mike Ashley or the CEO of a tax-avoiding multinational corporation, I’d want to see a Tory victory.

“Why? Because those are the people who are monopolising the wealth that should be shared by each and every one of us in this country.

“Everyone, and I mean everyone, has a contribution to make and a life to lead. Poverty and homelessness are a disaster for the individual and a loss to all of us. It is wealth that should belong to the majority and not a tiny minority.”

He presented Labour’s string of recent new policies, for example a £10 minimum wage and cracking down on corporate tax avoidance, as an alternative “to unlock opportunities for every single person in this country”.



Answering questions following the speech, which won a standing ovation from the audience of loyalists, Corbyn said the election was a chance for Labour to explain its plans. “Our policies will reach out,” he said.

All plans in the party referendum would be “fully costed and will be accounted for and paid for”, Corbyn said.

Asked whether he could represent the message, given his status as a member of the “Islington elite” – a question which prompted loud boos from some of the audience – Corbyn said he was very proud to represent the north London constituency.

“It’s true, in Islington there are people who drink cappuccino every day,” he said, to laughter, while stressing the significant inequality and poverty in the area which he said was fuelled by soaring property prices.

Asked how he would overcome the poor poll ratings, Corbyn pointed to how he overcame the odds to be elected Labour leader in the first place: “All I can say is, in 2015, almost exactly two years ago, I was given 200/1 as an outside chance.”