Second Brexit referendum would lead to civil disobedience, Labour front-bencher warns

A second referendum on Brexit could lead to civil disobedience and undermine the foundations of democracy, a member of Jeremy Corbyn's front-bench team has warned.

Barry Gardiner, shadow International Trade Secretary, warned that a second referendum on Brexit would be "very, very damaging" and said the referendum result must be respected. 

His comments are in stark contrast to Mr Corbyn, who has repeatedly refused to rule out a second referendum on Brexit.

Mr Gardiner told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I was a Remainer you know. What we said on the doorstep to people whether Leave or Remain was please, go out and vote on Thursday because what you decide will determine the future of our country for the next 30-40 years. 

"If you then say to people we did say that to you, we did give you a vote here, and actually we the Remainers lost the vote, but because you were stupid enough to do what you wanted rather than what we wanted...

"That undermines the whole principle of democracy in this country. You never give more succour to the extreme right as when you cut off the mechanism of democratic change. 

"People want to be able to achieve change through democratic means. If they feel that is being denied to them they then turn to other more socially disruptive ways of expressing their views."

He added: "In any situation, if people feel that the root to change is no longer a democratic root then you look to social disruption, perhaps civil disobedience. This is playing with our democracy, it is playing with the foundations of our country in a way that is really really damaging."

His position is in contrast to that of the Labour leadership, who while not formally endorsing a second referendum have suggested it should be considered. 

In July Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit Secretary, said: "All options it seems to me ought to be on the table because that [a no deal Brexit] is a situation we have to avoid at all costs."

It comes after Julian Dunkerton, the co-founder of clothing firm Superdry, committed £1million towards a campaign for a second vote on leaving the EU. 

He said he was making the donation to the “People’s Vote” campaign because he saw a “genuine chance to turn this around”.

However Downing Street highlighted a poll in The Sun on Sunday which found that 15 per cent of Remainers have changed their minds, compared to 11 per cent on leavers. 

Robbie Gibb, the Prime Minister’s Director of Communications, said: “1.9million Leave voters say they would now vote to Remain. But 2.4million Remain voters would now vote to Leave. The country hasn’t changed its mind.”

Theresa May has repeatedly ruled out a second referendum on Brexit, but there is growing support among Remain backing Tory and Labour MPs. 

Mr Dunkerton, who left Superdry earlier this year, told the Observer: "If Brexit had happened 20 years earlier, Superdry would never have become the global success that it did. We would have struggled to cope with negotiating customs and tariffs. Perhaps even more importantly, Europe was our staging post because inside the single market we had no fear of opening a store in France, Germany, Belgium or anywhere else.

Andrew Bridgen, a eurosceptic Tory MP, said: "People's Vote talk about democracy. What their declared intent is is to overturn the democratic decision of the 2016 referendum to leave the European Union," Mr Bridgen told BBC News.