Sir Keir Starmer: Labour wants a second Brexit referendum with Remain on the ballot

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer - Credit: PA Wire/PA Images

Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, has clarified what would be on the ballot paper if Labour’s proposals for a People’s Vote was passed.

Starmer said that ‘no deal’ would be taken off the table and the ballot paper would include an option to Remain.

Speaking to the BBC, and reiterated on Sky News, he said: ‘The basic choice needs to be between a credible Leave option and Remain. So that means that if the Prime Minister gets a deal through that should be subject to the lock of a public vote.

‘No deal would not be an option, we have said for a long time that no deal would be disastrous for the country.

‘Pretty well every business says that and I have talked to businesses in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

‘The prime minister is today or tomorrow going to publish her impact assessment of no deal and I expect that will show just how bad it would be and I think we have a responsibility to protect our country from that outcome.’

Sir Keir, who said he would vote to remain in the EU, rejected claims from anonymous sources who had briefed that shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry ‘misspoke’ when she set out the position on the referendum.

Asked if advisers to Corbyn did not agree with the position, Sir Keir said: ‘I don’t know who said what. What I do know is you have got elected politicians on your programme, you had Emily Thornberry out last night, setting out what the position is we agreed as the Labour Party.’

Asked about a potential Labour revolt over a referendum, Sir Keir acknowledged: ‘I’m well aware of different views across my own party and across parliament on pretty well all Brexit issue.