Newton Aycliffe MP Phil Wilson says the option to stay in the EU is now “very much on the agenda” after his party backed the idea of a People’s Vote.
Labour’s Annual Conference in Liverpool has overwhelmingly adopted a motion that endorses the prospect of a People’s Vote, and which keeps the option of staying in the EU on the table.
Mr Wilson, the Labour MP for Sedgefield, was a high-profile opponent to Brexit and is a leading supporter of the People’s Vote campaign, which is gathering momentum nationally.
Labour’s Shadow Brexit Secretary Kier Starmer was given a standing ovation during his speech in Liverpool on Tuesday, when he said a Remain vote should be included on the ballot paper in any referendum over the terms of the UK’s exit from the EU.
“This is a big victory for the People’s Vote campaign,” said Mr Wilson.
“Labour has listened to its members and supporters and has signalled its clear support for the option of a People’s Vote with staying in the EU very much on the agenda.
“The real congratulations should go, though, to the thousands of Labour members across the country who put motions up for debate, marched in Liverpool on Sunday, stood their ground in the compositing meeting and voted on the floor today.
“They have given Labour a clear, strong, and popular position to unite around.”
Mr Wilson is set to join Tory rebel MP Anna Soubry at a NE4EU’s March and Rally for a People’s Vote in Sunderland on Saturday, October 6.
The People’s Vote is also planning a large-scale march in London on October 20.
Mr Wilson added: “Recent polling shows that uniting around the demand for a People’s Vote could win Labour 1.5 million more votes and deliver 60 additional seats.
“It offers the chance to preserve and protect the skilled and unionised jobs on which communities depend and which the Brexit elite are happy to threaten, and it would give our young people new hope for the future.
“Nobody voted for Theresa May’s Brexit, Jacob Rees-Mogg’s Brexit or a blindfold Brexit. Nobody voted to hammer the NHS or send prices up in the shops. Nobody voted to put their job at risk.
“That is why the demand for a People’s Vote is rising all the time. Brexit is a big deal, but it is not a done deal.”
