Owen Smith Pledges To Block Brexit Unless There Is A Second Vote

Labour leadership hopeful Owen Smith says he would block Brexit until the Government offers a second vote.

Mr Smith says that under his leadership Labour would not support the triggering of Article 50 unless there was a commitment from Theresa May to hold a second referendum or a General Election to approve the final Brexit deal.

Speaking two months after the June referendum result, he said: "The British people were lied to by the Leave campaign - they deserve to have a say on whatever exit deal the Tories strike with the EU.

"Theresa May says that 'Brexit means Brexit' - but nobody knows what Brexit looks like.

"It could involve trashing workers' rights and environmental protections, opening our NHS up to foreign competition, making it harder for us to trade with our neighbours and damaging our economy.

"I'm a passionate pro-European and I will fight tooth and nail to keep us in the EU.

"Under my leadership, Labour won't give the Tories a blank cheque. We will vote in Parliament to block any attempt to invoke Article 50 until Theresa May commits to a second referendum or a general election on whatever EU exit deal emerges at the end of the process."

The result of Labour's leadership contest will be announced on 24 September.

The working assumption is that Britain will trigger Article 50 at the end of this year or the start of 2017, beginning the two-year exit negotiations.

However, there are growing suggestions within Westminster circles that Prime Minister Theresa May is considering delaying the trigger until after both the French and German elections in May and September 2017 respectively. 

There have been concerns that Mrs May's two Brexit departments, the Department for Britain's Exit from the EU and the Department for International Trade, will not be in a position to begin their work satisfactorily by the end of this year.