Owen Smith to fight to keep Britain in EU

Labour leadership contender Owen Smith said he will “fight tooth and nail” to keep the UK in the European Union, as he distances himself from Jeremy Corbyn.

Smith said if he is elected leader the Labour party would oppose triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, the clause that will initiate a two-year negotiating period for a country to leave the EU, in a vote in the House of Commons.

He said the public had been lied to during the campaign and they should have another say on the terms of leaving the trading block and what Brexit really means.

Smith told BBC’s Radio 5 Live on Wednesday: "It would be irresponsible of Theresa May to simply trigger Article 50 and sleepwalk out of the deal. Labour still believes that we should be a part of the European Union."

Smith said he would not give the Tories a blank cheque and the party will block any attempt by the Prime Minister Theresa May to invoke the clause until a second referendum or general election is held on the deal the UK gets from the EU.

It is not a given that May will take a vote to parliament to ratify the terms of Brexit as she could invoke Article 50 using her executive powers as Prime Minister. If a vote is held in the House of Commons, it is thought the majority of MPs would vote in favour of staying in the EU, but some might say that will of the electorate should be respected.

The Prime Minister said she would not trigger Article 50 this year, but she is facing pressure from the pro-Brexit contingent of the Conservative party to start the process in early 2017.

The UK voted in a close contest to leave the EU by 52% to 48% in a referendum in June.

Following the result, Corbyn immediately said Article 50 should be invoked. He lobbied to stay in the EU, but has been accused of half-heartedly campaigning to remain in. Corbyn has since said he misspoke.

Smith is centering his leadership campaign around the EU to appeal to pro-Europe Labour supporters. At a leadership husting in Solihull on 19 August, Smith accused Corbyn of never believing in the EU.

Smith said: “I think Jeremy can’t bring himself to say he would argue for a second referendum or put into a Labour manifesto that we would stay within the European Union because he fundamentally never believed in the European union."

Corbyn responded: "The referendum took place, the result is there, we know the Tory agenda. But we have to recognise there were some problems before the referendum with the EU...There is an agenda in Europe which is not something Labour would support which is the free market agenda."