Brexit: Pressure mounts on Jeremy Corbyn as more Labour MPs back calls for fresh referendum

More than 80 Labour MPs and MEPs now want public to be given final say on terms of EU withdrawal

Jeremy Corbyn is facing mounting pressure to support a fresh Brexit referendum after more of his MPs backed calls for the public to be given the final say.

More than 80 of the party's MPs and MEPs have now endorsed another vote, despite the Labour leader's refusal to back such a move.

The new supporters include former shadow cabinet ministers and several MPs from Leave-voting areas in Labour's northern heartlands.

The backing of six more MPs means 71 Labour MPs and 13 MEPs now back a Final Say referendum. More are understood to be ready to announce their support in the coming days.

The latest supporters include Debbie Abrahams, the former shadow work and pensions secretary, who previously said another vote would be "extremely unhelpful", and Lillian Greenwood, previously the shadow transport secretary.

The Labour leadership has so far refused to endorse a fresh referendum, saying it is focused on trying to trigger a general election.

MPs will vote tonight on a formal motion of no confidence in the government that Mr Corbyn tabled after MPs rejected Ms May's Brexit deal last night. The prime minister is widely expected to survive the bid to topple her, with Tory Brexiteers and the DUP having vowed to back her.

The Brexit policy agreed by Labour's annual conference said the party should push for a general election if the deal is rejected but, if this fails, "must support all options remaining on the table, including campaigning for a public vote".

Advocates of another referendum are pushing for Mr Corbyn to announce his support if tonight's no confidence motion is rejected but, speaking after the government suffered a crushing Commons defeat on its Brexit deal, the Labour leader's spokesman suggested the party could continue tabling confidence motions in a bid to force an election.

New Labour supporters of the campaign for a "People's Vote" include several from Leave-voting seats in the north, such as Keighley MP John Grogan and Hyndburn MP Graham Jones.

In a statement, the 71 Labour MPs and 13 MEPs said: "We represent hugely diverse constituencies from the North to the South, from Wales to Scotland. Many of our constituencies voted to Leave in 2016. We must listen to and respond to the reasons why people did so.

"But we now face a moment of national crisis, where the facts and the views of many people have changed - and are continuing to change.

"It is now clear renegotiation is not a realistic prospect. No deal would be a catastrophe which we must resolutely oppose. The government should seek an extension to Article 50 to provide time for parliament to find a way forward. Theresa May has failed to bring this country back together."

Saying Labour's annual conference had adopted "a clear policy for this situation", they added: "We must try and remove this government from office as soon as possible, but the removal of the government and pushing for a general election may prove impossible.

"Wo we must join trade unions, our members and a majority of our constituents by then unequivocally backing the only logical option to help our country move forward: putting the decision back to the people for a final say, in a public vote, with the option to stay and keep the deal that we have."

It comes after John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, admitted there was "strong support" for another public vote.

He told the BBC: “If we secured a general election, our party then would have to decision about what goes into the manifesto. There is strong support that if there is an impasse we go back to the people. Our preference is a general election, if we get, there is also that view that there should be another referendum."