Labour MP says revoking Article 50 is better than no deal Brexit

Shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy in a former TV appearance - Credit: Archant

A Labour MP who has opposes a second referendum has admitted cancelling Brexit would be more preferable to a no-deal Brexit.

While a number of MPs in the Labour Party have appeared united in their continual opposition to a second referendum, they appear to be split on whether or not to back a no-deal Brexit, when presented with the choice of revoking Article 50 or allowing the UK to crash out of the European Union.

Caroline Flint, another opponent of a second referendum in the Labour Party, recently said that she would be inclined to allow a no-deal Brexit over revocation of Article 50.

She recently told Question Time: “If we get pushed, or channelled into a situation where parliament is being asked to vote to revoke Article 50 – which will basically put a stop on us leaving the European Union – I would not vote to revoke Article 50.”

But Lisa Nandy takes an opposing view, saying she would rather cancel Brexit altogether than leave without a deal.

She admitted there were “limited options” for parliament to stop it happening.

MORE: Poll finds revoking Article 50 and remaining in the EU is public’s preferred option

Speaking alongside Conservative MP Vicky Ford on Politics Live, she said: “The only way, to be perfectly frank, to stop no-deal is to revoke Article 50, which is something I supported in parliament in the event of no-deal a few months ago, or to agree an alternative deal.

“My preference, like Vicky, would be to agree a deal, but if we can’t she and her colleagues should be in no doubt there are people like me, who are staunchly opposed to a second referendum, but would revoke rather than see my constituents lose their jobs and lose access to medicine.”

Nandy, however, admitted she was also close to backing Theresa May’s deal just before she resigned.

“If that deal were put on the table through the Withdrawal Agreement Bill I would do, as I said we should just before Theresa May resigned, and vote for it at second reading in order to thrash out to the details at a later date, as there are still outstanding concerns.

“But my god, why did it take so long, we had three years.”