"I am not prepared now for the Labour Party not to accept the result. The Labour party cannot spend all its time trying to rub out yesterday and not accept the result. We accept it, we respect it."

He added: "We recognise that immigration rules will have to change as we exit the EU, but we do not believe that immigration should be the overarching priority."

In a subsequent interview, Sir Keir said that businesses will go bankrupt without free movement of labour. He told the BBC's John Pienaar: "We must have immigration that works for our communities and for our economy. And that means that there has to be a movement of people to come and work in this country."

The party's commitment to Brexit, was also questioned after shadow Brexit minister Paul Blomfield said Britain may not leave the EU if Brussels addresses the concerns of voters. "That's a whoile new ballgame," he told Sky News.

Labour also vowed to retain and "fully protect" all EU laws and red tape after Brexit, including keeping the controversial Charter of Fundamental Rights which has been heavily criticised for helping criminals avoid deportation.