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Those involved in talks said the Labour leadership was in favour of a redrafted amendment proposed by backbenchers Peter Kyle and Phil Wilson, which would see the party abstain on the Brexit deal if a second referendum were promised on those terms.
Kyle said he was now confident the Labour leadership would back his rewritten amendment, along with a number of Conservative MPs, meaning there was an increasing prospect it would succeed. “I have every reason to believe that this will get the necessary support when the time comes,” he said.
Senior Labour figures were unhappy that the original Kyle-Wilson amendment implied backing for May’s deal and a Tory Brexit. But Kyle said his amendment had now been recast in a way that commands the support of the Labour frontbench.
Under the new plan, the text of the amendment would make clear MPs were “withholding support” from the legislation until the people were given a decision in a second referendum. If it were to pass, Labour would then abstain on May’s deal.
The Kyle-Wilson amendment is expected to be put to a parliamentary vote on the same day as May tries to get her revised Brexit deal through the House of Commons – before or on 12 March.
[...] But several MPs told the Guardian they believed Labour would now whip in favour of the redrafted Kyle-Wilson amendment.
McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, told ITV’s Peston that Labour would put forward its own amendment in favour of a second referendum when May puts her Brexit deal to a vote in the House of Commons. [...]