This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Jeremy Corbyn has met Conservative former ministers promoting a Norway-style Brexit, raising the possibility that Labour could join a cross-party majority to force Theresa May’s hand.

Former ministers Nick Boles and Oliver Letwin, as well as Labour MPs Lucy Powell and Stephen Kinnock, met Corbyn after prime minister’s questions to discuss their “common market 2.0” plan. Shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer was not present.

A Labour spokesman said they had met to “discuss how to achieve a deal that would be good for jobs and could bring leave and remain voters together”.

Both sides said afterwards the meeting had been constructive.

“We went through the areas of commonality and the areas of difference,” said Powell. “Everyone recognises that there needs to be another serious option on the table. We have always felt that we could attract support from both leavers and remainers.”

Nick Boles MP (@NickBoles) Oliver Letwin and I were happy to join @LucyMPowell and @SKinnock in this meeting with Jeremy Corbyn to discuss our Common Market 2.0 proposal. For months now we have been meeting with senior MPs from all parties in search of a cross party Brexit compromise. https://t.co/dNKpLbEQXR

Boles and Letwin have declared themselves implacably opposed to a no-deal Brexit. They and other Tory supporters of a common market 2.0 will vote for the prime minister’s deal in next week’s meaningful vote.

But if the deal is defeated by a significant margin for a second time on Tuesday – as looks increasingly likely – May will come under intense pressure to allow parliament to take control of what happens next, rather than stick to her approach of pressing for changes to the backstop.

Supporters of a “people’s vote” claimed a victory last week, when Labour declared its support for a new Brexit referendum.

But Corbyn has since repeatedly made clear that he will also continue to press for Labour’s alternative Brexit plan, which involves a customs union and a close relationship with the single market.

A spokesman for the People’s Vote campaign said of Wednesday’s meeting: “The overwhelming majority of Labour voters and members support a people’s vote – the unanimously agreed policy of party conference.

“Now that we know any sort of Brexit will hit jobs and investment, as well as hurt the health service, Labour voters will feel betrayed if the party in any way enables any sort of Brexit.”

There are significant differences between Labour’s Brexit plan and a common market 2.0 approach, which does not include a permanent customs union – but if Corbyn threw his weight behind some version of it, it could open up the possibility of a parliamentary majority.

One possibility would be for a cross-party group of MPs to table an amendment to the government motion asking the Commons to approve an extension to article 50, which May has promised to table next Thursday.

Labour has also pledged to support an amendment demanding a “public vote”. But at least a dozen Labour MPs, and perhaps as many as 30, remain vehemently opposed to a second referendum, and would be likely to defy the party whip to vote against it.

Norway? Singapore? Neither Brexit deal looks better than Europe Read more

More than 10 Labour frontbenchers could resign, rather than be forced to support a referendum; some of the sceptics are close allies of Corbyn, such as Ian Lavery and Richard Burgon.

Meanwhile, May will face a backlash from former remainers on the Tory frontbench if she refuses to contemplate a softer Brexit after a second defeat in a meaningful vote.

Julian Smith, the chief whip, warned cabinet ministers on Tuesday that the most likely outcome, if May’s deal is defeated again, is that parliament takes over and forces the government towards a customs union.

The prospect of MPs being given an opportunity to force a softer Brexit were boosted by a government defeat in the House of Lords on Wednesday night on the trade bill.

A cross-party alliance of peers defeated the government by 207 votes to 141 on an amendment calling on the government to negotiate a customs union with the EU.

The bill is due back in the Commons before Brexit day - and if the government wants to remove the customs union amendment, it will have to persuade MPs to vote to do so.

Direct discussions between May and Corbyn over finding a Brexit compromise ran into the ground last month when it became clear that she was sticking to her red lines on issues including a customs union.

However, another Labour source played down the significance of Wednesday’s meeting, pointing out that Corbyn had also met campaigners pushing for a second referendum.

Corbyn used a piece in the Daily Mirror on Thursday to further stress his focus on “getting Brexit right”.

“I am holding meetings with business groups, trade unions and senior MPs from across parliament to try to deliver a majority in the House of Commons for a close economic relationship with the EU, so we can move beyond Brexit,” he said.