Emily Thornberry urges Jeremy Corbyn to 'make a decision now' on Labour's Brexit stance

Shadow foreign secretary warns party risks losing 30% of pro-Remain votes without clear stance

Emily Thornberry speaks during a People’s Vote rally in Brighton in September (AFP)

Emily Thornberry has insisted Labour must thrash out its Brexit policy "now", as she warned the party risked being squeezed at a general election without a clear Remain stance.

Her defiant remarks came after union boss Len McCluskey singled out Ms Thornberry, as he told members of the shadow cabinet to back Jeremy Corbyn on the party's policy or "step aside" from their roles.

The Labour leader is proposing that if he wins power his government will hold a referendum within six months, but will only decide how to campaign after convening a "special conference" of the party's members.

But Ms Thornberry said it was important members of the Labour Party had their voices heard "over this conference", adding: "I don't see – since we're all here – I can't see why we can't make a decision now."

The shadow foreign secretary – a vocal supporter of a second referendum – added that she feared Labour could lose 30 per cent of its Remain vote to the Greens and Liberal Democrats unless the party was "clear about where we stand on Europe".

Speaking at an event on the fringes of Labour's annual conference, hosted by the Huff Post, Ms Thornberry added: "Clearly the polling is there and does make the case that we are likely to lose many, many more people who voted Remain in the referendum than people who voted to Leave."

"The polling does show that we could lose 30 per cent of the Labour vote to the Greens and the Lib Dems unless we are clear about where we stand on Europe."

Ms Thornberry later added: "I've been thinking about this quite a lot and I keep running through lots of films. You get the hero who is standing in the middle and the walls are coming in.

"It is used lots of times, it's used in Indiana Jones where the walls are coming, or Zorro, and I think there's also a bit in Star Wars where they're in the crusher.

"And the answer is not just stand there and go 'oh well, I know I'm right' – the idea is to get out of there and that's kind of where we are with these two sides pushing us."

It follows Labour's leadership being accused of a "total stitch-up" over Brexit, after members of its ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) were given 90 minutes to raise objections by email to a statement backing Mr Corbyn's position.

General secretary Jennie Formby emailed NEC members around noon on Sunday, asking them to raise any objections by email before 1.30pm, or the statement will go forward to a vote at the party’s conference in Brighton later this week to enshrine it as official policy.

One Remain-supporting shadow cabinet source told The Independent: “It’s a total stitch-up process.

“People wanted a meeting of the NEC to discuss the issues, but they are doing it all by email. A lot of shadow cabinet ministers who would be raising concerns are going to be speaking at Remain rallies in Brighton during that time."