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Which MPs are supporting a second EU referendum – the cross-party politicians who are backing a second Brexit vote

THERESA May is now out of the political picture having stepped down but some MPs still want to hold a second EU referendum.

May had repeatedly rejected calls from pro-EU MPs to delay Britain’s departure from the bloc or to hold a “People’s Vote” on whether to leave. Here are some of the key figures.

AP:Associated Press
May’s Brexit plans aren’t being backed by a growing number of MPs[/caption]

Which MPs support a second EU referendum?

Jo Johnson

Jo Johnson resigned as rail minister and demanded a second referendum.

Boris Johnson’s brother said the May’s deal was “substantially worse” than staying in the EU, and it was “imperative we go back to the people and check” they still want to leave.

Jo Johnson’s resignation in November 2018 came just months after his own brother Boris quit as Foreign Secretary – saying he couldn’t back Mrs May’s plans any longer.

Earlier today, rail minister Jo Johnson resigned and demanded a second referendum
PA:Press Association

Justine Greening

Justine Greening said she believes there are other Conservative MPs who also support the idea of a second referendum – after she became the most high-profile Tory to endorse it.

The former education and transport secretary said Theresa May’s Chequers plan “in practice suits no one”.

She said that a new referendum would provide “a route forwards”.

She added: “The only solution is to take the final Brexit decision out of the hands of deadlocked politicians.

“I think what I’m saying is what everyone is seeing in parliament.”

Justine Greening said she believes there are other Conservative MPs who also support the idea of a second referendum
Getty - Contributor

Anna Soubry

The Conservative MP for Broxtowe backs a second referendum.

In January she criticised police for not intervening after she was accused of “being a Nazi” while conducting a live interview.

The former Tory minister has called Brexit “the most terrible betrayal”.

She said: “The promise was that we would have a deal about our future trading relationship with the European Union. Everything would be settled. But we’re not going to get a deal.

“We’re going to get a withdrawal agreement and our future trading relationship will not be determined until after we’ve left the European Union.

“That is not what the British people were promised; that is not what they voted for. It is the most terrible betrayal.

“When the history books are written on this period, it will reflect exceedingly badly on an awful lot of people, who have put their heads in the sand and allowed this terrible mistake to take place.”

Anna Soubry described May’s Brexit deal as ‘the most terrible betrayal’
AFP

The 59 MPs backing a second EU referendum

Conservative

Damien Collins

Anna Soubry

Dominic Grieve

Jo Johnson

Guto Bebb

Heidi Allen

Justine Greening

Sarah Wollaston

Phillip Lee

Labour

Debbie Abrahams

Rushanara Ali

Rosena Allin-Khan

Tonia Antoniazzi

Margaret Beckett

Luciana Berger

Roberta Blackman-Woods

Ben Bradshaw

Chris Bryant

Karen Buck

Richard Burden

Ruth Cadbury

Ann Clwyd

Ann Coffey

Neil Coyle

Mary Creagh

Stella Creasy

Alex Cunningham

Janet Daby

Geraint Davies

Stephen Doughty

Rosie Duffield

Angela Eagle

Maria Eagle

Julie Elliott

Louise Ellman

Paul Farrelly

Paul Flynn

Mike Gapes

Roger Godsiff

Kate Green

Lilian Greenwood

John Crogan

Helen Hayes

Margaret Hodge

Rupa Huq

Darren Jones

Graham Jones

Susan Elan Jones

Ged Killen

Peter Kyle

David Lammy

Chris Leslie

Seema Malholtra

Kerry McCarthy

Siobhain McDonagh

Pat McFadden

Alison McGovern

Catherine McKinnell

Anna McMorrin

Madeleine Moon

Stephen Morgan

Ian Murray

Albert Owen

Jess Philips

Bridget Phillipson

Stephen Pound

Steve Reed

Ellie Reeves

Rachel Reeves

Joan Ryan

Virendra Sharma

Barry Sheerman

Gavin Shuker

Tulip Sudiq

Andy Slaughter

Angela Smith

Jeff Smith

Owen Smith

Alex Sobel

Jo Stevens

Wes Streeting

Gareth Thomas

Stephen Timms

Anna Turley

Chuka Umunna

Catherine West

Matt Western

Martin Whitfield

Paul Williams

Phil Wilson

Daniel Zeichner

Lib Dems

Tom Brake

Vince Cable

Alistair Carmichael

Ed Davey

Tim Farron

Wera Hobhouse

Christine Jardine

Norman Lamb

Layla Moran

Jamie Stone

Jo Swinson

SNP

Ian Blackford

Nicola Sturgeon

Tommy Sheppard

Green

Caroline Lucas

Plaid Cymru

Jonathan Edwards

Ben Lake

Liz Saville-Roberts

Hywell Williams

Independent

Jared O’Mara

Heidi Allen

The Conservative MP said she sees no alternative other than backing a second referendum on leaving the EU.

She becomes the latest Tory to support a new vote, saying the “right-wing” of her party had made Theresa May’s Chequers Brexit plan – “dead”.

She told BBC: “They have behaved unacceptably through this and have completely tied her hands.”

Allen campaigned to Remain in the EU in 2016.

She said there was “no alternative other than asking – should we come to that, no deal, that looks like that’s what’s going to happen – then we need to go back to the public to decide what they want us to do next.”

Sarah Wollaston

Wollaston, the Conservative MP for Totnes, said she has signed up to the People’s Vote campaign for a vote on the final Brexit deal.

The 56-year-old was previously the only Conservative MP to officially support the campaign.

When asked why she is in support of the second referendum, Wollaston said: “If in two years’ time there are serious unintended consequences, I don’t want people writing to me asking ‘what did you do?’ I want to be able to point to the things that I did try to do.

“Not because I want to block Brexit, but because I want to check we’re prepared. To proceed without informed consent would be a catastrophic mistake.”

A further six Labour MPs came out in support of a second referendum for the first time in January, saying  it was the “the only logical option” if the party could not secure a general election.

Debbie Abrahams and Lilian Greenwood, both previously Labour frontbenchers, backed the campaign along with John Grogan, Graham Jones, Stephen Morgan and Matt Western.

Does Labour support a second referendum?

Under the terms of a motion passed at party conference last year, Labour is supposed to campaign for a People’s Vote if it fails to bring about a General Election.

But MPs believe Jeremy Corbyn and his close advisers are desperate to avoid one.

His reluctance to commit to another referendum so close to Brexit day is costing him with many MPs and party members.

In the latest twist, he was plunged into a fresh war over a second referendum after claims his aides deleted the mention of one in a “demands” letter to the PM.

Sources yesterday said that in a draft letter compiled by Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer, Labour said it would back a People’s Vote if Theresa May didn’t meet their demands.

A final letter sent by Mr Corbyn at the end of last week didn’t contain the threat.

Corbyn said in a letter to the Prime Minister would back her Brexit plan if she agreed to these conditions.

Remain backing Labour MP Ben Bradshaw: “If this is true, any attempt by the leadership, or figures in the leaders’ office, to subvert or renege on Labour’s unanimously agreed policy would provoke uproar among our members, voters and MPs.”

According to polling, Labour members are significantly more opposed to Brexit than Corbyn, with 72 per cent thinking their leader should support a second vote.

A new poll shows the party’s failure to back a second vote could be “far more damaging than the Iraq war”.

The party’s Hillary Benn has called for the party to come out “loud and clear” in support of a second referendum.

He told a People’s Vote rally in Leeds: “We know, to use the technical term, that Brexit is a complete and utter mess. I have never spoken on a People’s Vote platform before, but I too have come to the conclusion that the only way out of this mess is now to give the people a final say.

“So let’s say it clearly, let the party that I joined at 17 years of age say it loud and clear – we want a People’s Vote.”

 

 

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