One of Britain’s biggest unions has called for a vote on the final Brexit deal in a move that will increase pressure upon Jeremy Corbyn to adopt a similar line.

Tim Roache, the general secretary of GMB, said the British public had a right to a public vote upon a final deal following consultation with members across the UK.

GMB sources said this could be in the form of either a general election or a second referendum on the final deal if there was no election forthcoming.

The union, which has 620,000 members, backed remaining in the EU, although it admitted its members were divided.

Roache said in a message to members: “GMB respects the result of the referendum, but how we leave the EU is as important as the decision to leave in the first place. That’s why today, GMB is calling for a public vote on the final deal.

“As trade unionists, when we negotiate a pay deal with an employer, we go back to our members and ask them if they’re happy with it. Whether they want to accept or reject it.

“That’s what people deserve now, because the promises that were made during the referendum campaign are simply not the reality we are facing,” he said.

Brexit is likely to be a contentious issue when Labour members gather for their party conference in Liverpool later this month. Campaigners say dozens of local parties have passed motions urging the leadership to back a vote on the final deal.

The GMB is one of the three big unions – alongside Unison and Unite – that exercise the greatest influence over Labour, in part because of its funding to the party. It is the first to call for a referendum this explicitly.

The issue will also be debated by the union movement in Manchester next week at the TUC conference. The Royal College of Nursing, Community and the transport workers’ union the TSSA also support a second referendum.

Unite, whose general secretary, Len McCluskey, is a strong backer of the Labour leadership, passed a motion at its policy conference in July supporting the possibility of a popular vote on Brexit.

Roache said GMB members in manufacturing, ports, chemicals, energy, retail and public services were facing uncertainty and a government more preoccupied with internal divisions than working people’s livelihoods.

“People voted for change – they voted to take back control. They did not vote for economic chaos or to put jobs and hard won rights on the line,” he said.

“The government need to know they have to come back and face the music – they can’t sell working people down the river. That’s why GMB supports your right to decide what sort of Brexit is the right Brexit.”

Theresa May on Sunday ruled out calls for a second referendum. As negotiations between the government and the EU27 on an exit deal enter their final phase, the shadow Brexit secretary, Keir Starmer, has insisted the option of a referendum must be kept on the table if the deal is rejected by MPs.



The shadow international trade secretary, Barry Gardiner, has suggested a second referendum could spark social unrest.

Andy Burnham, the mayor of Manchester, will call on Wednesday for a second referendum in the event of a no-deal outcome.

In a speech to Westminster, he will say that with the likelihood of a no deal growing, the government needs a contingency plan.

“If ... we are left on the cliff-edge of no deal with no other options, then and only then would I endorse the call for a ‘people’s vote’ on the proposed no-deal departure and encourage our MPs to do the same.

“A price would undoubtedly be paid in terms of social cohesion but it would be a necessary one to protect the damage to people’s jobs, families and lives.”