Labour deputy Tom Watson steps up call for second referendum saying ‘our hearts are Remain’

Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson has reiterated his call for the party to fully commit to a second EU referendum, insisting "our future doesn't need to be Brexit".

Mr Watson, 52, told his party to be “loud and proud in support of Europe”, and said: “Our members are Remain. Our values are Remain. Our hearts are Remain.”

He used a series of tweets and video messages to make his case for a fresh public vote on the UK’s EU membership, stating in no uncertain terms: “We must argue strongly to remain.”

“We are a country going round in circles, kidding ourselves that one last heave will somehow resolve the contradictions and the catastrophes that Brexit both embodies and invites,” he said in a keynote speech at the Centre for European reform on Monday.

“Our future doesn’t need to be Brexit, so now is the time to speak our more loudly than ever before any further irreparable damage is done.

“Only a public vote can break this deadlock, but we will only achieve this if Labour fights for it and champions it.

“We must do that in Parliament and around the country. Labour must make the positive case.”

It comes as Jeremy Corbyn continues to resist pressure to fully endorse a second referendum, amid heavy criticism of the party's poor results in the European elections.

Labour came third behind The Brexit Party and the Liberal Democrats, with its share of the vote dropping to 14% when the elections took place in May.

Critics blamed the dismal showing on confusion over the party’s stance on Brexit, and have demanded clarity on Labour’s position regarding a fresh public vote.

Mr Watson is now calling for a one-off meeting or ballot of members to be held to vote on a shift in policy.

He told the BBC Labour would pay “a very high electoral price" if it did not have "a clear position" on Brexit.

He said: “Sometimes in politics your choices are the least worst option.

“It is my honestly held view that Parliament will not be able to get a deal on Brexit and therefore the only choice, reluctantly, is to ask the people to take another look at it."

Asked if he would leave the Labour Party if things did not change, he replied: "I'm never going to leave the Labour Party," adding: "Sometimes I wonder whether the Labour Party is leaving me."

Labour chairman Ian Lavery – who is against another referendum – apparently shot down his colleague’s comments, tweeting that "ignoring Leave voters" was neither "politically smart" nor "democratic".

"Brexit has turned this country into a toxic nation,” wrote Mr Lavery in a Twitter message, posted as Mr Watson gave his speech at the Centre for European Reform.

"However ignoring the 17.4m leave voters isn't politically smart nor indeed particularly democratic. Is it? #simplysaying."

Labour MP John Mann has also warned that if the party adopted a strong Remain position, it would lead to the party losing the next general election "by a significant amount"

Mr Mann told the BBC that if Labour "turned its back" on voters in the North who voted Leave, "Tom Watson won't be deputy, Jeremy Corbyn won't be prime minister".

However, other party members have enthusiastically supported Mr Watson’s comments.

Anna Turley MP retweeted a video message posted by the deputy leader, commenting: “Thank you ⁦@tom_watson⁩ for saying what should have been said in 2016. The European Union represents our values of solidarity, freedom & internationalism. Building peace & prosperity from the ravages of war.

“Brexit is and always has been a right wing Tory project.”

Mr Watson stressed in the video message that the left had been too quiet in its defence of European values: “Our support for Europe was whispered not shouted. We need to tell the truth – that the European Union is a good thing,” he said.

He stressed the prospect of Tory leadership frontrunner Boris Johnson becoming prime minister meant there was an urgent need to act.

He said the party had shied away from speaking out about the common causes shared by Labour and the EU, adding: “But now, as we stare down the barrel of a Boris Johnson premiership, we really must."