Second Brexit referendum vote could happen, says Hammond

Parliament is likely to be given another chance to decide whether to hold a second Brexit referendum, Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond said on Thursday.

“It’s a proposition that could and, on all the evidence, is very likely to be put to parliament at some stage,” Hammond told reporters in Washington.

The finance minister said the government, which is engaging in talks with the opposition Labour party to try and agree changes to Theresa May's Brexit deal that would be acceptable to both sides, was opposed to a 'people's vote".

“The government’s position has not changed. The government is opposed to a confirmatory referendum and therefore we would not be supporting it,” he said.

However, many Labour MPs and members are calling for leader Jeremy Corbyn to ask for a second referendum as one of the party's demands.

Hammond said he expected the government and Labour would strike a deal in the next couple of months.

With the Electoral Commission having said any new referendum would probably take six months to organise, Hammond pointed out that there was not much time before the new Brexit date of 31 October that was agreed by EU leaders this week.