Leader of Britain’s main opposition Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn has warned he will not allow the ruling Conservatives to bring Britain out of the European Union in a disorderly manner and without an agreement.
Corbyn said in a Monday statement that the only way to resolve a current political standoff over Brexit was to allow people in Britain to have a say on the issue through a fresh vote.
“With the Conservatives disintegrating and unable to govern, and parliament deadlocked, this issue will have to go back to the people, whether through a general election or a public vote,” Corbyn said.
The remarks came just a day after results of the European Parliament elections showed the Labour and the Conservative Party had suffered unprecedented losses.
The results have clearly caused Corbyn, once opposed to the idea of a second Brexit referendum, to accept calls from other lawmakers in Labour that pressing for a fresh vote would seriously boost chances of the party to rise to power.
Corbyn said that the Labour would stand by its promises to bloc a no-deal Brexit, a scenario in which Britain would crash out of the EU without an agreement to cushion the shocks of exit.
Experts believe that a no-deal Brexit would be indispensible at the end of October, when Britain is supposed to leave the EU, given that senior figures vying to replace Prime Minister Theresa May are supporting the idea.
“We will not let the continuing chaos in the Conservative Party push our country into a no deal exit from the EU. Parliament can and will prevent such a damaging outcome for jobs and industry in the UK,” said Corbyn in his statement.