Barry Gardiner appealed to Brexit Labour voters urging them to back the Opposition at the upcoming general election with the promise of having a final say in Britain’s membership of the European Union. The Labour Party frontbencher listed off the benefits of a new withdrawal agreement negotiated under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn but Mr Gardiner appeared to outline arrangements aimed at keeping the UK close to the EU for a long time after Brexit. Speaking to BBC Breakfast about the prospect of Labour heartlands shunning the party in December, Mr Gardiner said: “Let me be very specific – we take no votes for granted in the Labour Party.
“You’re talking about areas which voted Leave in the referendum campaign and, of course, we have a message for them.
“That is, if you want to leave the EU, if you want to do it, then do it in a way that does not destroy your own job, do it in a way that does not destroy our health service, do it in a way that Labour will put forward.”
The shadow International Trade Secretary continued: “That keeps us in a customs union, that we have a just-in-time supply chain for manufacturing in this country, that we can keep manufacturing going, that we can keep your jobs going.
“If we do that, we can leave the European Union and you will have the final say on that.”
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The Labour frontbencher also insisted his party would help bridge the gap between Remain and Leave voters to bring the country back together after three years of heated Brexit debate.
He added: “That’s why we say we need to reunite the country not just extreme Brexiteers on one side and extreme Remainers on the other but trying to get a compromise that brings us all together.”
Jeremy Corbyn announced last month Labour will seek to negotiate a new deal with Brussels within three months of taking power to later hold a new referendum on the agreement.
Mr Corbyn however confirmed the option to leave the EU with no deal would not be included on the ballot paper, and only the Labour deal and Remain would be included.
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