Which senior Labour figures support a second Brexit referendum?

The prospect of a Final Say vote remains divisive

Labour's Brexit divisions have been laid bare once more, after two frontbenchers warned any Brexit deal was "impossible" to get through the Commons without a public vote attached.

Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, and deputy leader Tom Watson have both thrown their weight behind calls for a second referendum on a cross-party agreement.

But the prospect of a Final Say vote remains divisive among senior Labour figures, which has led, in part, to the party's carefully crafted Brexit position.

So what are the views of those at the top of the party?

Jeremy Corbyn

(Alamy)

(Alamy)

The Labour leader has always been lukewarm towards the prospect of a second referendum.

A long-time Eurosceptic, Mr Corbyn opposed the creation of the European Community in 1975 and the ratification of the Maastricht Treaty in 1993.

Under his leadership, Labour campaigned to stay in the EU but he has since dedicated his efforts to fighting for a general election.

His opposition to a Final Say shifted when Labour's party conference backed a motion in favour of a public vote, followed by the defection of a string of Labour MPs to form Change UK.

Mr Corbyn then whipped his MPs to back a second referendum during indicative votes in the Commons - but he clearly still have reservations.

Sir Keir Starmer

The shadow Brexit secretary is seen as one of the influential voices backing a second referendum, working behind the scenes to shift Labour towards a carefully construction position.

In his strongest intervention yet, Sir Keir said "probably 120 if not 150" of the party's 229 MPs could vote against the deal unless it was linked to a second referendum.

He said: "I've made it clear that at this stage, at this eleventh hour, any deal that comes through from this government ought to be subject to the lock of a confirmatory vote."

Sir Keir has also been clear that any referendum must have an option to remain on the ballot paper.

John McDonnell

'We'll look at options, run the pilots and see if we can roll it out,' shadow chancellor says (AFP)

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has traditionally been in the Eurosceptic camp but he has been open to discussions with backbenchers over pursuing a fresh public vote.

His first pursuit will always be a general election but he moved the dial by saying Labour would "inevitably" back a second referendum if an election was not possible.

Tom Watson

Labour's influential deputy leader played his cards close to his chest for a while.

However Mr Watson has since come out a second referendum, arguing that Labour cannot "sit on the fence" of such an important issue.

The shadow culture secretary has kept the pressure on Mr Corbyn, making several high-profile interventions in favour of a fresh public vote.

Diane Abbott

The shadow home secretary said the party’s top team are preparing policies for the first 100 days of a Labour government (PA)

The shadow home secretary is a close ally of Mr Corbyn, and has remained aligned to the Labour leader on all things Brexit.

Last year, Ms Abbott warned pro-EU MPs to be careful what they wished for, as she said Leave was likely to win if there was a new Brexit referendum.

She recently said Labour's attempt to appeal to both sides was "courageous and principled" in the face of criticism that the party was sitting on the fence.

Emily Thornberry

Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry has been a voice for a second referendum in the shadow cabinet.

As well as speaking out about the need for a public vote, she has also been clear that an option to remain in the EU should be on the ballot paper.

Rebecca Long-Bailey

Ms Long-Bailey, the shadow business secretary, is also a close ally of the Labour leader.

She has publicly expressed her reservations about a second referendum, and also hinted that Labour could sign up to a Brexit deal without a confirmatory vote.

Barry Gardiner

(PA (PA)

The outspoken international trade secretary famously described Labour's Brexit policy as "bollocks".

Mr Gardiner recently said Labour was "not a remain party now" and it had "accepted the result of the referendum".

Yvette Cooper

A former frontbencher, Ms Cooper resigned from the shadow cabinet in protest at Mr Corbyn's leadership.

Now the chair of the home affairs committee, Ms Cooper has become an effective backbench campaigner against a no-deal Brexit.

However she has never explicitly supported a second referendum.

Hilary Benn

(Getty (Getty)

The Brexit committee chairman has made his support for a public vote known, saying it is the only way to break the Brexit deadlock.

Mr Benn also spoke in favour of having remain as an option on the ballot paper.

Ian Lavery

The Labour Party chairman is openly opposed to a second referendum, defying an order from Mr Corbyn to back it in a series of Commons votes.

He said: “There were 17.4m people who voted to leave the European Union.

"Any attempt to try to cast their vote aside, as if they didn’t mean it or didn’t understand the consequences, whereas everybody else did, is a bit of a slur on the individuals who took the time to vote, many of them for the first time."