Monday 28 May 2018 2:21 pm

Momentum activists urge Labour leadership to give members a vote on Brexit

Members of leftwing pressure group Momentum are pushing for a vote on Brexit at the Labour party's annual conference in September.

Senior figures of Labour's vanguard were quoted in the Observer saying it would be "unacceptable" for members not to have a say on Brexit, especially since a key part of Jeremy Corbyn's winning manifesto was to give more power to grassroots members.

Some appear to be concerned that key policy decisions around Brexit could be made behind closed doors in way that harks back to the "Blairite" days of the party.

Rida Vaquas, a former member of Momentum’s national coordinating group, told the newspaper: “The left has always stood against stage-managed conferences from the days of Blair, where decisions of substance are made behind closed doors whilst party members are given no chances to have robust debates on the direction of our party.

“A Corbyn-led Labour party can only be strengthened by vigorous discussion among our own ranks, on our political differences as well as what unites us. How we approach Brexit is an issue of decisive importance and it is therefore only right it is debated at conference."

However, a spokesperson said Momentum as whole "remains supportive of the leadership on Brexit".

Brexit has proved to be a divisive issue for all parties, including Labour. Corbyn is known to be a eurosceptic and during the referendum debate he was criticised by Remainers for not campaigning passionately enough on the issue.

Corbyn is also under pressure from the right wing of his party, represented by Blairite group Progress, to hold a "meaningful vote" vote on the issue.

Its petition says: "Brexit is the biggest political issue facing the country in a generation. 82 per cent of Labour members would back a referendum on the terms of Britain's departure from the EU, and 87 per cent say Britain should stay in the single market. Yet our views currently have no place to be heard."

Labour's current stance on Brexit is to come out of the single market but to retain a customs union relationship with the EU.

Earlier this month Labour's shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer said he was not in favour of the UK staying in the European Economic Area after Brexit, akin to adopting a "Norway-style" model in which the UK would remain in the single market and have to accept rules around freedom of movement.

Starmer said: "We propose a combination of a comprehensive customs union … and also a strong single market relationship that hardwires the benefits of the single market into the future agreement."

Meanwhile, Labour's deputy Labour leader Tom Watson appeared on Peston on Sunday to say that no decisions had been made on whipping arrangements regarding membership of the single market as the Commons prepares to vote on the EU Withdrawal Bill next month.