Labour deputy leader Tom Watson walked out of a shadow cabinet meeting after not being shown the party's EU elections manifesto.

Mr Watson is calling for the party to explicitly commit to a second EU referendum ahead of next month's European Parliament elections.

His demand has piled the pressure on Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to shift his party's stance before the 23 May polls.

At present, Mr Corbyn has only said a fresh public vote on Brexit must remain among the options as parliament wrestles with the UK's divorce from the EU, in line with Labour's party conference motion from last September.

In a demonstration of Labour's internal divisions over Brexit, Mr Watson left the gathering of Labour's shadow ministerial team on Tuesday after they weren't shown a draft of the party's EU elections manifesto.


The manifesto will be decided formally at a meeting of Labour's ruling National Executive Committee later.

Image: Jeremy Corbyn is under pressure to commit to a fresh public vote

A source told Sky News that Mr Watson saw "no point" being in the shadow cabinet meeting and so took the action to leave.

"The shadow cabinet were told it was a 'consultation' meeting - an hour before the manifesto was finalised and agreed on by the NEC," the source added.

"Totally pointless and disrespectful to shadow cabinet."

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Mr Watson later arrived at the NEC meeting at Labour HQ where he predicted a "lively" discussion, but added: "I don't think there will be a row. These are very serious matters."

Confirming his walkout from the shadow cabinet meeting, Mr Watson also posted on Twitter: "I politely asked if the shadow cabinet were going to see the draft words and was told 'no'.

"So I left to walk to the NEC where the document will be available and the decision will be made."

He added: "There was no rancour at all. Everyone was calm."

PM 'banged head on desk' over Brexit

Mr Watson wants the NEC to approve a "confirmatory" referendum on any Brexit deal as Labour policy in the manifesto.

Sedgefield MP Phil Wilson is among those MPs' supporting Mr Watson's demand, telling Sky News: "It's got the support of over 200 MPs, the vast majority of MEPs and candidates support it, our membership support it, it is the decision taken by our party conference last year.

"The majority of Labour supporters back it as well, so I think that says what should happen today and let's hope that it does."

But Labour Brexiteer Graham Stringer claimed supporting a second EU referendum in Labour's EU elections manifesto would be a "major mistake".

"Why should Leave have to win two referendums whereas Remain would only have to win one referendum? That seems fundamentally wrong," he told Sky News.

The Blackley and Broughton MP added: "The referendum in 2016 was unambiguous, unconditional and it is the government and parliament's job to implement that."

On the eve of the NEC's extraordinary meeting to decide on the manifesto, pro-Remain MPs had also claimed Mr Corbyn's refusal to explicitly commit to a fresh Brexit referendum was causing party members to quit in large numbers.

Bermondsey and Old Southwark MP Neil Coyle said: "I've lost 500 members since the peak at the end of 2016. That's not just because Brexit, but the vast majority have left because of the European fudge.

"Members are saying they want us to oppose Brexit full stop, and they want a confirmatory vote as a minimum."

Prime Minister Theresa May wants to avoid the UK's participation in European Parliament elections next month, but her continued failure to have her Brexit deal approved by MPs could see Britain forced to elect MEPs once again.