Robert Peston Robert Peston

Labour will not endorse Remain in a general election

Very important breaking news. Which is that trade unions, in their TULO meeting with Jeremy Corbyn, have tonight endorsed the Labour leader’s position that in a general election Labour should campaign for a referendum that would have a “credible leave option and remain” on the ballot paper.

The reason this matters is that those senior members of the shadow cabinet, such as Keir Starmer, Emily Thornberry, John McDonnell and Tom Watson, who want Labour to adopt an unambiguous remain position have been defeated.

“It is important that voters who want to leave as well as those who want to remain can vote Labour. What we’ve rejected is the Trumpian no-deal position of Boris Johnson”.

I am told all the unions unanimously backed this position, and that it was not a Len McCluskey and Unite putsch. Watson, Thornberry and Starmer will be devastated, because they fear it will see a large number of remain supporting Labour voters switching to support the Lib Dems and the Greens in the looming election.

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