Brexit news – what is the People’s Vote and will there be another Brexit referendum?
Campaigners want the British public to have the final say on the deal negotiated between the UK and the EU
WITH Brexit on the horizon, a campaign group that demands a referendum on the final Brexit deal arranged between the UK and the European Union has been kick-started - the People’s Vote.
Supporters of the initiative want a second vote after Theresa May's Brexit deal was trounced in Parliament. Here's what it's all about.
What is the People’s Vote?
The campaign group was launched at the Electric Ballroom in Camden, London, on April 15, 2018.
Attending were the MPs Chuka Umunna, Anna Soubry, Layla Moran and Caroline Lucas as well as Sir Patrick Stewart and the comedian Andy Parsons.
Outspoken Remainer Lord Adonis was also involved.
The campaign is a collaboration between several groups, including the European Movement UK, Open Britain and Britain for Europe.
It is calling for a “final say on the Brexit deal”.
The People's Vote organised a March For The Future on October 20, 2018 from Park Lane to Parliament Square.
Organisers claimed around 700,000 people attended the march although the police declined to estimate the number
Previously, the People’s Vote organised a march on June 23, 2018 from Trafalgar Square to Parliament Square in central London.
Attending the event were Gina Miller, Vince Cable, David Lammy and the actor Tony Robinson.
Is the campaign calling for another referendum?
Yes. The group wants to have a public vote on the final Brexit deal between the UK and the European Union.
Labour's Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has said the party would "inevitably" back a second referendum if they were unable to force a general election, though leader Jeremy Corbyn has never suggested this.
Arlene Foster, the Democratic Unionist leader, has said she and her ten MPs would not vote for a second EU referendum but did not rule out supporting a "Norway-plus" option.
On December 3, 2018 campaigners delivered two petitions to Downing Street - one called People's Vote and one called Final Say - with a combined 1.4million signatures.
And after Theresa May's Brexit Withdrawal Agreement was shot down in Parliament by 432 votes to 202, the prospect of a second referendum is yet again being touted as a solution to the current problems.
European Council President Donald Tusk also voiced his support, tweeting: "If a deal is impossible, and no one wants no deal, then who will finally have the courage to say what the only positive solution is?"
Vocal Eurosceptic MP John Redwood has strongly said he was opposed to a People's Vote.
The Brexit MP from Wokingham said on LBC: "The British public knew exactly what they were doing, they’ve made up their minds.
“That is why Parliament, full of Remain MPs and even more Remain Lords wisely decided by a huge majority to send the letter announcing we were leaving and by a reasonable majority to cancel all the powers of the EU in Britain from March 29th next year.
“The sooner the better and Parliament has to do that because we, the Parliament, said to the people this is your decision and that is what the people then decided to do.”
What have Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn said about a People's Vote?
Prime Minister Theresa May has repeatedly dismissed calls for a second referendum, despite backing the Remain campaign in the initial vote.
She said "giving in" to the demands would be "a gross betrayal of our democracy".
The PM said the coming months were "critical in shaping the future of our country", adding that she remained "confident" that the government could strike "a good deal".
But in the event of a no-deal, Britain would "be ready if we need to be" and "go on to thrive", she said.
The government, responding to one petition, said: "A clear majority of the electorate voted to leave the European Union. We must respect both the will of the British people, and the democratic process which delivered this result."
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Campaigners looking to Jeremy Corbyn for hope will also be disappointed.
He has also ruled out holding a People's Vote, saying he wishes to respect the outcome of the 2016 vote.
Although Labour appears to have no united position on Brexit, Corbyn said the party "believes that a general election would be the best outcome for the country if this deal is rejected" - which it then was.
A number of his colleagues, including Chuka Umunna, said Corbyn “would face increasing demands to hold a people’s vote by the end of the week”.
Around 72 per cent of the Labour Party support holding another referendum, polling by the Economic and Social Research Council showed.
In contrast, around 52 of the 229 Labour MPs are estimated to support the People's Vote - less than a quarter.
Corbyn has been pressured by opposition leaders to support a People's Vote.
The SNP, Plaid Cymru, Liberal Democrats and Green Party have joined forces to urge the Labour leader call for a People's Vote
MP Ian Blackford penned a letter to Corbyn that was signed by other party leaders urging him "now that the Government and the Official Opposition’s options have been tested before the House, we believe the only way now which presents a real chance of breaking the Brexit deadlock is to put the decision to the people by backing a People’s Vote".