Brexit: Labour backing for second referendum thrown into doubt by Corbyn ally Barry Gardiner

Party will also not support revoking Article 50, shadow cabinet minister says

A key ally of Jeremy Corbyn says Labour does not back a motion to deliver a fresh Brexit referendum – just moments after its supporters insisted the leader was on board.

The party’s confused position was plunged into fresh disarray, hours before MPs will vote on a plan for any deal passed by parliament to be put to a public vote.

Peter Kyle, one of the Labour MPs who has drawn it up, insisted Mr Corbyn had given his full support, saying: “He will order MPs to vote for this.”

But Barry Gardiner, the shadow trade secretary, rejected the claim, warning: “It’s not where our policy would be.”

He argued the idea “implies that you are a Remain party” – because, if the alternative put to the people was Theresa May’s deal, Labour would have to back staying in the EU.

Mr Gardiner said Labour only supported a Final Say referendum to “stop a no-deal or to stop a bad deal”, adding: “The Labour party is not a Remain party – we have accepted the result of the referendum.”

On Tuesday night, Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, had signalled Labour would whip in favour of the amendment tonight, which is down in the name of veteran Margaret Beckett.

It says no withdrawal deal, or framework for a future relationship, can be ratified “until they have been approved by the people of the United Kingdom in a confirmatory public ballot”.

In that way, it is designed to cover the prime minister’s deal still squeaking through – or a softer Brexit emerging from the “indicative votes” process.

Mr Kyle said of Mr Corbyn’s position: “He will order MPs to vote for this. We had a really constructive process of engaging with him. At no point was he instinctively against this.”

The Hove MP expressed confidence of growing support across the Commons, adding: “We do have Tory support. A lot of people will be looking at how the debate unfolds today.”

But Mr Gardiner told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Some colleagues may have difficulty with that – because it would be saying yes, we could accept what we have always said is a very bad deal

“Therefore, it looks as if the attempt to have public vote on it is simply a way of trying to Remain because nobody likes this deal – whether you are a Conservative or Labour party member.”

The clash came before a beleaguered prime minister faces Conservative MPs demanding she quit, ahead of the historic indicative votes bid to snatch control of the Brexit process.

At a meeting of the 1922 committee of backbench Tory MPs, Ms May could set out a timetable for her departure from Downing Street, as a last-gasp bid to rescue her deal.

Meanwhile, up to 20 junior ministers are thought to be ready to resign if she refuses to grant free votes on all the Brexit options on Wednesday evening.

MPs will propose options – expected to include a no-deal Brexit, a customs union, single market membership plus a customs union, a simple free trade agreement and revoking Article 50 – before the Speaker whittles them down.

Votes will be cast on ballot slips, rather than in the traditional way, and MPs can back any number of options, with the results to be declared late in the evening.