Jeremy Corbyn’s compromise Brexit talks with Theresa May will fail if he demands a second referendum as part of a deal, a senior Labour MP has said.
Lucy Powell told HuffPost UK’s Commons People podcast that the prime minister will never agree to a so-called people’s vote.
However, Corbyn might be able to extract a commitment on putting it to a vote in the Commons, she said.
The Manchester Central MP also suggested Tory Brexiteers could back the idea in a Commons vote if they see it as the way to stop a soft Brexit by getting no deal on the ballot paper.
Her comments came as 25 Labour backbenchers warned Corbyn not to include a people’s vote in any compromise deal thrashed out with Theresa May.
Labour and government negotiating teams are locked in intensive talks to find a way through the Brexit deadlock.
On Thursday night, it was reported the PM is expected to write to the Labour leader to set out the government’s offer on Brexit - which will include the proposal that a confirmatory referendum on any deal will be offered to MPs as an option in any vote next week.
Corbyn is under pressure from MPs – including his own shadow cabinet ally Emily Thornberry – to “insist” on a second referendum.
Arriving for talks in Whitehall, shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said that a “confirmatory” referendum of any deal was among the ideas on the table for discussion.
But Chancellor Philip Hammond suggested the government may allow MPs a vote on another referendum as part of the price for securing a deal, rather than actually committing to one. He told ITV’s Peston it is an idea that “deserves to be tested in parliament”.
It has been suggested that such an approach could help the Labour leader, who does not appear to want another referendum, because there is no majority for one in the Commons.
Commenting on the cross-party Brexit talks, Powell told Commons People: “I personally can’t see the government agreeing to a second referendum as part of a deal.
“But I think what we could and should be asking for is that as part of that process, as Philip Hammond has referred to himself, we could bring forward the option of a second referendum and then it would be for parliament to decide.:
She added: “I think that could be a very interesting event to see how that happens, because I think you could see some of the ERGers [the arch Brexiteer European Research Group] start looking at a second referendum to stop a deal that they don’t like that’s been done between the prime minister and Jeremy Corbyn.”
Meanwhile, 25 Labour MPs wrote a joint letter to Corbyn warning that a second public vote would “divide the country further and add uncertainty for business”.
They warned: “A second referendum would be exploited by the far right, damage the trust of many core Labour voters and reduce our chances of winning a general election.”
Signatories included veteran backbenchers Sir Kevin Barron, Dennis Skinner and Ronnie Campbell, former minister Caroline Flint and MPs for Leave-voting areas of the North and Midlands including Gloria De Piero, Sarah Champion and Gareth Snell.
They wished Corbyn success in the talks, which they said would put Labour’s preferred Brexit deal “within reach” if they resulted in the option of a customs union being put before parliament.
Powell, who is in contact with senior figures across the Commons following her cross-party work on the Common Market 2.0 proposals, said she believed the prime minister was sincere about wanting to strike a deal – and was not looking to trap Corbyn into taking some of the blame for the current Brexit crisis.
“I think the prime minister has pivoted now so much that there’s no going back for her, and there’s no going back for some in the cabinet either, so they have to actually make this work, it’s not just about process,” she said.
“Jeremy Corbyn, the shadow cabinet, Keir Starmer, anyone around the table – no one can agree to something that’s not a significant shift towards our demands on what we would support for Brexit.
“But those demands aren’t huge, it’s not full single market membership and free movement of people and a second referendum and things we know the government could never agree to.
“It’s not that far off where the prime minister was a couple of years ago.”
“Technical” Brexit talks between the government and Labour broke up after four and a half hours on Thursday, during which negotiators were served sandwiches and fruit for lunch, with tea, coffee and biscuits throughout the day.
Labour was represented by shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer and shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey.
The government’s negotiating team consists of May’s deputy David Lidington, Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay, Chief Whip Julian Smith, Business Secretary Greg Clark and Number 10 chief of staff Gavin Barwell, supported by senior aides and officials.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “Today both sets of negotiating teams met for four and a half hours of detailed and productive technical talks in the Cabinet Office, supported by the civil service.
The government and the opposition hope to meet again tomorrow for further work to find a way forward to deliver on the referendum, mindful of the need to make progress ahead of the forthcoming European Council.”
A Labour party spokesperson said: “Today both sets of negotiating teams met for four and a half hours in the Cabinet Office for detailed technical discussions. These talks are continuing and the teams are planning to meet again.”