Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry: Labour would be ‘off our rockers’ if it didn’t pursue Remain

Jeremy Corbyn suffered another blow today as one of Labour’s most senior MPs warned that the party would be “off our bloody rockers” if it did not campaign all-out for Remain.

Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry also stressed that “whatever deal a government comes up with”, it should go to another public vote, with Labour backing staying in the EU.

On a visit to Australia, she told how people had stressed to her the importance of close trading ties with neighbouring countries.

“When I’ve been talking to people here in Australia … what’s really come home to me is that one of the reasons for the increased success of the Australian economy … is that you increased your trade with your closest neighbours, and yet in Britain what we’re doing is walking away from our closest neighbours and our biggest trading allies,” she told Sky News Australia.

“And people that I’ve spoken to here appreciate that, and I have to say practically all of them … have said if we get an opportunity to remain in the European Union, we should take it. Because if we don’t, we’re off our bloody rockers.”

The outspoken remark by Ms Thornberry, MP for Islington South and Finsbury, is her strongest endorsement yet for Labour to fall full square behind staying in the EU and puts her at odds with senior figures in her party. 

Labour’s position on Brexit has come under fire for being unclear and trying to satisfy a party bitterly split between Leave and Remain. 

Ms Thornberry blamed the party’s unclear strategy on Brexit for its dismal result in the May European elections.

The current policy, unveiled recently by Mr Corbyn, is calling on Mr Johnson to hold another referendum on his Brexit plans, during which Labour would campaign for Remain.

However, he stopped short of saying what Labour’s stance would be if it won power in a General Election, or what would be in the party manifesto.

Ms Thornberry’s comments after the  European elections setback were believed to be behind the reason she did not appear in Mr Corbyn’s place at the despatch box when David Lidington, who was Cabinet minister at the time, deputised for Theresa May. While she wants the party to campaign for Remain, as does shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer, it is believed that senior party aides around leader Mr Corbyn are more cautious about the plan and how it would impact on Leave voters. 

Ian Lavery, party chairman, thinks another referendum would show disdain for voters and is vehemently against the proposal. 

But Ms Thornberry stressed in today’s Sky interview: “I think that any deal, or no deal, or whatever this Government comes up with, should be put back to the British people so they can be asked,  ‘Is this what you voted for?’ Because if you did, that’s fine.

“But we don’t think it is what you voted for. And I’m firmly of the view that Labour’s policy should be that whatever deal a government comes up with, no ifs, no buts, as Boris Johnson says, we should put it back to the people, we should have another referendum, and that Labour should campaign to remain.”

“We went into an election where the most important issue was what was our view on leaving the European Union and we were not clear about it. We were not clear on the one single thing that people wanted to hear and that wasn’t [the candidates’ ] fault. We should have said quite simply that any deal that comes out of this Government should be put to a confirmatory referendum and that Remain should be on the ballot paper and that Labour would campaign to remain.”

The Liberal Democrats are targeting Tory voters who feel “left behind” by Brexit as they gear up for a crunch by-election in Brecon and Radnorshire, Wales. Former Lib Dem Cabinet minister Sir Ed Davey said: “Liberal Tories are looking for someone to save them. For the first time in my political life the ability to take votes from lifelong Tory voters has never been stronger.”