Brexit: Labour’s Deputy Leader Tom Watson walks out from shadow cabinet meeting

Tom Watson has walked out of a shadow cabinet meeting after Jeremy Corbyn refused to allow its members to see a draft policy on a fresh Brexit referendum.

Relations between the leader and his deputy plunged to a new low – hours before the party was due to decide Labour’s European elections manifesto at a marathon meeting.

Shadow cabinet members were only shown the document on a big screen, rather than being handed hard copies of the text, The Independent was told. “The shadow cabinet were not going to see the draft, so what’s the point in being there,” said a source close to Mr Watson. “It was very disrespectful to the shadow cabinet.”

Mr Corbyn’s top team met ahead of a decisive meeting of the ruling national executive committee (NEC), at which he will attempt to fight off demands – led by Mr Watson – to commit to a second referendum in all circumstances.

Via The Independent