Brexit news - live: Labour 'moving closer to new EU referendum' amid fresh party splits as ninth MP this week quits

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John McDonnell has insisted that Labour is “moving towards” supporting a second referendum as the party seeks to stem the flow of defections over Brexit.

The shadow chancellor spoke out at the end of a dramatic week when 8 Labour MPs and 3 Tories broke away to form the Independent Group, in protest at the leadership of both parties.

Dudley North MP Ian Austin became the ninth MP to quit Labour on Friday over its handling of antisemitism allegations - but he said he had no plans to join the breakaway group.

Meanwhile, Theresa May has been warned she faces a major Tory rebellion unless she takes a no-deal Brexit off the table ahead of another set of key votes on the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union.

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Key Points

• Labour 'moving towards' backing a second referendum, says John McDonnell
• Ian Austin becomes ninth Labour MP to quit ‘broken’ party this week
• PM facing major rebellion from Tories unless no-deal taken off table
• Chance for Final Say vote to be missed with no-one committed to bring plan forward
• Theresa May to hold weekend talks with Tusk on sidelines of Egypt summit

[22 February 2019 18:22 · Ashley Cowburn]

Jeremy Corbyn has insisted there is no "wide scale" problem of bullying within the Labour Party.

In an interview with Sky News, Mr Corbyn said that "bad behaviour" in the party was dealt with.

"There is no place for harshness, bullying or anything else in the party. I don't believe that it exists on a wide scale. Where there is bad behaviour, we deal with it. Where there is a problem, we deal with it."

Mr Corbyn rejected claims by deputy leader Tom Watson that bullying was an issue in the party.

[22 February 2019 18:37 · Ashley Cowburn]

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[22 February 2019 19:10 · Shehab.Khan]

Jeremy Corbyn has dismissed allegations of bullying within the Labour Party.

[22 February 2019 19:50 · Shehab.Khan]

Leave voters backed Brexit because they wanted to "reduce the number of different coloured faces on their street", a Liberal Democrat MSP said.

Alex Cole-Hamilton said a "fury" over immigration was behind many people voting to leave the European Union in the 2016 referendum.

And he said that if the UK did withdraw from the EU, Lib Dems would automatically campaign for the country's re-entry.

[22 February 2019 20:45 · Shehab.Khan]

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