At their annual conference, members of Britain’s Labour Party have passed a resolution on Tuesday endorsing a second referendum on the terms of any Brexit deal. With Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn saying he will accept his members’ resolution, the decision means any future Labour government might keep Britain in the European Union if voters reject any Brexit deal.
Yet while she is under pressure in her negotiations with the European Union, Labour’s decision strengthens Conservative Party Prime Minister Theresa May. It effectively clarifies the choice for voters between one of Brexit on some terms, and no Brexit at all. And while it’s true that a plurality of voters likely now oppose Brexit per se, they are far from united on what they wish to see in place of Brexit. Some, like the Liberal Democrats (a centrist-left party), want Brexit totally annulled and Britain in an ever closer relationship with the EU from inside the EU. But Labour Party voters are far from united on whether it is even right to hold a second referendum. And in marginal constituencies, the perceived threat to Brexit will help define who wins the next election. If pro-Brexit Labour Party voters end up protesting their party’s new position, many may choose the U.K. Independence Party, or even hold their noses and vote for the Conservatives.
