Corbyn refuses to move on second referendum despite intense pressure from top Labour figures at crunch meeting

A group of MPs has warned the party leader that a pro-Remain stance would be "toxic for bedrock Labour voters"

Hopes of a fundamental Labour shift to full-throated support for a second Brexit referendum came to nothing today as a crunch shadow cabinet meeting broke up without agreement on a new policy.

Supporters of a Final Say referendum voiced hopes that leader Jeremy Corbyn may be moving towards out-and-out backing for a People's Vote, after he signalled an imminent speech on his position on Europe.

But his current position was condemned as a "fudge" by campaigners who have been demanding clarity from the party leadership, while a former minister who defected to Change UK accused him of "taking Labour voters for fools"

The meeting came as 26 Labour MPs urged Mr Corbyn to back a deal which would take the UK out of the EU by 31 October, warning that a shift to a pro-Remain stance would be "toxic to bedrock Labour voters". And a discussion paper produced by the leader's office warned that “There is an evident risk that shifting to a more explicitly pro-Remain position would leave us vulnerable in seats we need to hold or win without enough potential seat gains in winnable Remain majority areas.”

Speaking to shadow cabinet, Mr Corbyn restated his existing position that "it is now right to demand that any deal is put to a public vote", which could be a general election or second referendum. And he said that any referendum ballot paper should contain "real choices for both Leave and Remain voters".

Mr Corbyn held out the prospect of an imminent speech to set out the party's position on Brexit, saying he wanted to "set out our views to the public" after consulting with trade unions next week.

But he stopped well short of agreeing to deputy leader Tom Watson's call for Labour to lead a full-scale summer campaign for a Final Say referendum and support for Remain.

Responding to Mr Corbyn's comments, Labour frontbencher Rachael Maskell, of the pro-Remain Love Socialism Hate Brexit group, said the party must adopt a "crystal-clear" position of keeping the UK in Europe before Boris Johnson takes the reins of power next month.

Today's shadow cabinet meeting was part of a consulation launched by Mr Corbyn in the wake of Labour's woeful performance in last month's European elections, in which the party slumped into third place on just 14 per cent behind NIgel Farage's Brexit Party and the Liberal Democrats.

He took a step towards a second referendum at that point, saying that Labour was "ready to support a public vote on any deal". But anti-Brexit campaigners said that the party must go further, with the expected imminent arrival of Mr Johnson in Downing Street making a no-deal withdrawal a very real prospect.

Mr Watson wants an emergency vote or special conference to authorize a change in policy before the summer, warning that it will be “too late” to stop a no-deal Brexit on 31 October if Labour waits until its annual conference in Brighton in September.

But he is facing stiff resistance from figures including chairman Ian Lavery and shadow cabinet office minister Jon Trickett, who fear an exodus of voters in Leave-voting constituencies in the Midlands and the North of England.

The open letter signed by frontbencher Gloria de Piero and MPs including Stephen Kinnock, Caroline Flint and Lisa Nandy, said that the near-defeat by Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party in the Peterborough by-election was a “stark warning” of the potential risk to the party in Leave-majority seats.

“The strength of the Brexit Party in Labour heartland areas in the European elections revealed a much more potent threat than either the Liberals or Greens present,” they said.

Mr Corbyn told shadow cabinet that he had “stuck faithfully” to Labour’s policy agreed at last year’s conference, which makes a second referendum an option if the party is unable to secure its preferred “jobs-first Brexit” or a general election.

He said: “I have already made the case, on the media and in Dublin, that it is now right to demand that any deal is put to a public vote. That is in line with our conference policy which agreed a public vote would be an option.

“A ballot paper would need to contain real choices for both leave and remain voters. This will of course depend on Parliament.

“I want to hear your views, I will be hearing trade union views next week, and then I want to set out our views to the public.”

Ms Maskell said the need for a “clear alternative” to the new Tory PM’s version of Brexit was urgent.

“By late July, we will have an extreme right-wing Tory prime minister pursuing a hard Brexit that will wreck our communities and undermine our rights,” she said.

“As a party, we need to present a clear alternative to transform Britain and Europe, and we need to be energetic and enthusiastic about promoting it.

“Only a radical Labour message can keep us in Europe, and only by opposing Brexit can we be true to our values and set out a radical vision to transform the country. Our position must be crystal clear before Boris Johnson walks into Number 10.”

Momentum activist Alena Ivanova, of the pro-Remain Another Europe is Possible movement, said: “Labour is a mass movement, and many of the activists recruited to the party by the hope and radicalism of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership are watching on in disbelief as, once again, we are treated to more fudge and consultation, and no clear movement towards Remain.

“We need to move our position before the summer break - both to save our electoral prospects and simply to do the right thing. Labour and the anti-Brexit movement need each other, urgently.”

A message from Mr Lavery’s Twitter account appeared to suggest that the ultimate aim of those pressing for change was to block Brexit by revoking the UK’s Article 50 process.

Responding to reports of pressure on Mr Corbyn to shift his stance, the message stated: “Please understand there (sic) position really is to head for to (sic) revoking A50.”

But Mr Lavery later said that the swiftly-deleted post was “not authorized by myself or anyone on my team”. And he posted an email which he had received from Twitter around an hour after the original post, alerting him to the fact that his account had been accessed from an unknown smartphone.

Change UK MP Chris Leslie, who quit Labour in February over Brexit, said: "Labour's reluctance to argue for remaining in the EU is a historic betrayal and Jeremy Corbyn has now run down the clock with his continued contortions.

"Revoking Article 50 is now the only practical route that allows the British people the time and space to have a genuine final say.

"This further round of consultations is nothing more than Jeremy Corbyn playing Labour members for fools."

And the Best for Britain campaign for a second referendum warned Mr Corbyn not to “row back” from his apparent movement towards a Final Say vote.

"Corbyn's statement may appear significant but it would be unwise of him to offer the prospect of real choice to Remain voters and then row back,” said Best for Britain’s Naomi Smith.

"That would be dangerous for Labour and dangerous for the country as well."