‘We didn’t call for a SECOND Brexit referendum!’ Labour DEFIANT after Owen Smith sacking

Jeremy Corbyn's second in command denied Labour had ever called for a second Brexit vote on the final withdrawal deal.

Shadow Northern Ireland secretary Owen Smith was sacked after writing an article calling for a fresh Brexit vote before officially breaking up with the European Union in March 2019.

But despite rejecting Mr Smith's calls for a second Brexit referendum, Mr Watson said Labour would be open to holding one.

He said: "We never called for a second referendum.

"But you should always try to keep your option open in a negotiation, particularly one that could have such disastrous outcomes."

Mr Watson, however, conceded it was "highly unlikely" the party would campaign for a new Brexit poll.

He continued: "I think it is highly, highly unlikely that we will be calling for a second referendum.

"What we want is a meaningful vote and what we want is to apply pressure on the Government to get them to change their negotiating position."

Mr Smith was unexpectedly replaced with Rochdale MP Tony Lloyd, which prompted him to defend his views on the "damage" Brexit could do to the British economy and the Good Friday Agreement.

The Labour deputy leader added that the party had scored significant victories in pressuring the Government in changing its negotiating stance over Brexit.

He told The Andrew Marr Show: "I think we have been moderately successful in that.

"I think we convinced them that we need a transitional arrangement so it would mean we stay within the customs union and the single market for that time.

"I think that we are winning the argument that we need some form of a customs union and I’m absolutely certain that, at some point, Theresa May will come back to the country and say that Labour were in the right position on this.

"And she will find some form of custom arrangement that looks similar to the current one."