The U.K.’s opposition Labour Party will only back a second referendum on EU membership if it fails in its attempts to forge a Brexit consensus with Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservatives.
Labour members met with the party’s governing body, The National Executive Committee, on Tuesday to agree on the wording for a manifesto ahead of European elections in May.
There had been hopes among many Labour members and supporters that the group would pledge to push for a second Brexit vote so as to provide a powerful alternative to Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party, which has pulled ahead in the polls.
But Labour decided against campaigning for a second vote under all circumstances, saying it would only do so if talks with May falter or if there was no general election to break the impasse.
The two parties have been locked in discussions since EU leaders granted the U.K. an extension to Brexit last month, with Labour pushing for a deal that includes a customs union. The U.K. parliament has until October 31 to thrash out an agreement for leaving the bloc or risk doing so without a deal in place.
May hopes such an accord can be struck quickly to avoid the need for the country to contest the European elections on May 23.
A Labour source told the BBC: “The NEC agreed the manifesto which will be fully in line with Labour’s existing policy to support Labour’s alternative plan and if we can’t get the necessary changes to the government’s deal, or a general election, to back the option of a public vote.”
The result is a setback for Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson, who has been increasing his support for a so-called People’s Vote, according to the Financial Times.
Pro-referendum Labour MP Bridget Phillipson said her party had “done the bare minimum needed” and she could “only hope” it would be enough to win over voters who want another say on Brexit.
Meanwhile, the FT reports that May’s allies are acknowledging her time as prime minister could be coming to an end, admitting that the next Queen’s Speech is likely to be prepared by a new Conservative leader.
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