Labour will "work with anyone to block a no-deal" Brexit, shadow chancellor John McDonnell has told Sky News.

The senior Labour MP appeared on Sophy Ridge on Sunday where he warned against Tory Brexit "extremists" such as Boris Johnson trying "to push us over the edge of a no-deal" if they succeed Theresa May.

Labour is facing pressure from its own members to fully commit to a second referendum on Brexit.

Deputy leader Tom Watson says the party must "find some backbone" and come out unambiguously in favour of a new vote to have any chance of winning the next general election.

Pressed by Ridge on whether Mr Watson was right, Mr McDonnell said that they would be willing to have a second referendum "if necessary" - but only as a last resort.


"Well we've always worked through what our conference policy was, which was to try to secure a deal if we can, block a no-deal certainly, block a bad deal, try to secure a deal if we possibly can, then if we can't do that... then seek a general election or failing that, yes, go back to the public," he said.

He added the responsibility is on opposition parties to come together to block a no-deal, "and if that means going back to the people then yes lets go back to the people".

Mr McDonnell also warned the country could be in a "critical situation" if the new leader of the Conservatives is a staunch Brexiteer.

"We cannot allow a Brexiteer extremist like Boris Johnson or any other candidates in this grand national race that has been set off in the Tory party, to push us over the edge of a no-deal. It will impact upon peoples livelihoods."

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"To block a no-deal, we'll work with anyone," he said. "We want to see the opposition parties, we want to have that conversation within our own party and with some of those Conservative MPs who have said, like us, they will not vote for a no-deal Brexit."

Image: Tom Watson said his party needs to find some 'backbone'

Mr McDonnell said he understood Mr Watson's frustration, but that the party had been right to "tread a really difficult road" of trying to bring Leave and Remain supporters back together.

He admitted Labour "most probably will get a good kicking" in the EU elections because of its lack of clarity over a second vote, but that his party "had to do the responsible thing".

He said it "would have been easy to go to one side, go to the Remain side and ignored all those people who voted Leave - that's not the nature of our party".

Mr Watson described the party's stance on a second referendum as "a deliberate, self-defeating attempt to triangulate between different groups".

Ahead of the European elections, Jeremy Corbyn saw off an attempt by pro-EU members to commit the party to a confirmatory referendum on any Brexit deal.

The party's ruling National Executive Committee agreed that its manifesto would instead stick to the wording of a motion passed by Labour conference last year, which keeps a public vote on the table as a last option.

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