Lib Dems to lobby for second EU referendum on Brexit terms

In a bid to regain the centre ground, the Liberal Democrats will lobby for a second referendum on the terms of Brexit, as party leader Tim Farron attacks Theresa May and George Osborne.

Farron, will say at the party’s conference in Brighton on Tuesday that the government should hold a vote on the deal reached with the European Union in a new referendum or by way of a general election.

“If the Tories say: ‘We’ve had enough referendums’, I say: ‘You started it!’ How dare they let bureaucrats in Whitehall and Brussels stitch up our future?” he will say in a speech which was released overnight.

The pro-EU position is supported by former leader and deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg who said he thought Farron was “dead right” as the call “he’s made is one of those that will get a bit of criticism to begin with, but will be vindicated over”.

“The cul-de-sac this government finds itself in is so much worse than I think people appreciate, and things are going to get a whole lot worse before they get better, and I think the public appetite will grow, in terms of what it means for themselves and their families at the end of the process.”

However, Lib Dems heavyweights Sir Vince Cable and Paddy Ashdown questioned the position.

Former business secretary Cable, said he thought a second referendum was “seriously disrespectful and politically utterly counterproductive” to voters who had voted to leave the EU.

He also said by rejecting ‘soft Brexit’, by maintaining close links with the EU, the party would unbeknownst, be aligning with Ukip, which wants a ‘hard Brexit - a total break from the EU with a block on the free movement of people and no access to the single market.

Former party leader Lord Ashdown told reporters, “Your presumption is that all the 48% who voted to remain in Europe would want to see a second referendum. I don’t think that’s true. I think there’s a huge number of them, who think ‘OK, it’s out, we don’t want to re-run that, but we do want the right solution.’”

In his speech, Farron will also suggest that former Chancellor George Osborne was responsible for the Brexit vote due to his punishment budget announcement during the campaign.

“You see, if you base your political strategy on divide and rule, do not be surprised if the people you have divided decide to give you a kicking.”

The MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale will say that Prime Minister Theresa May’s refusal to reveal her plans for Brexit is a “disgrace”.

“Theresa May did so little in the Remain campaign that she actually made it look like Jeremy Corbyn pulled a shift.

“And today, the absence of leadership from Theresa May is astonishing, the absence of clarity as to what will happen to our country is a disgrace. Three months on, it isn’t good enough to have brainstorming sessions at Chequers while investment and jobs steadily bleed away.”

Putting Europe at the centre of party policy is an attempt recover electoral ground after the Lib Dem’s hammering in the 2015 election when it was reduced to just eight MPs from 57, and lost the position of third largest party to the SNP.

A poll from the Evening Standard on Wednesday, carried out by Ipsos Mori, found that Farron has done little to help raise the profile of the party in his first year as leader.

The poll found that fewer than one in four think that he is doing a good ob, while almost half say they dislike him.

The party is “actively disliked” by around four in 10 people and only 6% said they would vote Lib Dem in a general election.