Pro-EU activists were dealt another blow when shadow finance minister John McDonnell – Corbyn’s right-hand man – on Tuesday said any second vote should not include the choice of whether or not to stay in the EU.
Starmer contradicted him, saying the motion “clearly keeps Remain on the table”, while pro-EU MP Stephen Kinnock said he was “baffled” by the comments.
Corbyn has largely masked the party’s splits through vague messaging, instead focusing on unifying domestic issues.
However, with Brexit negotiations entering the final phase, he is under pressure to plot a clear path, a daunting task given that polls show the country is still divided on Brexit – although a narrow majority might now support staying in the EU.
The divisions cut across party loyalties, with Labour’s traditional leftwing working-class constituencies voting largely to leave.
“The EU was a social democratic movement, and it was a good idea, but after the financial crash, it decided to bail out the banks at the expense of the people,” Brexit supporter Les Thomas said as he protested against a second referendum.
But the centrists who took charge when Tony Blair became party leader in 1994 strongly favour the EU, and despite being sidelined by Corbyn’s election, they comprise a large rump of the party’s MPs.