Labour leadership contender Owen Smith says UK should vote on Brexit again
The United Kingdom should have another vote on whether to remain in the European Union when a Brexit deal is agreed, a Labour leadership candidate has said.
Owen Smith, MP for Pontypridd, said many Britons backed Brexit under false pretences and want a second vote.
If he was to win the election, Smith says he would offer the public a second referendum to ratify any Brexit deal Britain ends up making with the EU.
Smith added that while people wanted access to the Single Market and control on immigration, the public should be consulted on what deal is struck before it is sealed.
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“And then we should give them another chance. That does mean a second referendum or a general election when the terms are clear. The Labour government should be committing to that,” Smith told the Guardian.
“I think there are many people out there who voted in good faith for Brexit and who felt they were doing the right thing for their families and their communities and I respect them for taking that decision.
“But I think a lot of people I know are now saying to themselves, ‘It wasn’t the right decision.’ A lot of people are angry that they were quite clearly misled by the Brexit campaign.”
Smith's comments come as he and former shadow business secretary Angela Eagle announced bids to challenge incumbent Jeremy Corbyn.
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Meanwhile, it was decided earlier this week by Labour's National Executive Committee that Corbyn would be able to stand without having to garner 20 per cent of support from the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) of European Parliamentary Labour Party, equivalent to 40 MPs.
However, there is speculation that having two candidates challenging Corbyn could be detrimental to the chances of seeing a change at the top of the party.
The Welsh Labour politician admitted it would be better if just one person challenged Corbyn.
“Let’s wait and see where we end up. Let’s see who’s got more support,” he said. “Ideally, we would have one candidate, and the clarity of that one candidate versus Jeremy Corbyn.”