By Greg Heffer, political reporter
A group of Labour MPs have joined the Liberal Democrats in calling for another referendum on Britain's EU membership.
Eight Labour backbenchers, including four former shadow ministers, have signed an open letter calling for voters to be asked to choose between the final Brexit deal or remaining in the EU.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable and the party's Brexit spokesman Tom Brake are also signatories, along with Labour MPs David Lammy, Tulip Siddiq, Wes Streeting, Mike Gapes, Neil Coyle, Rupa Huq, Virendra Sharma and Gareth Thomas.
The letter states: "Brexit is taking longer than we thought, and costing more than we thought, and it's been changing our communities, our hospitals and our job prospects in ways that were not clearly set out during the 2016 vote.
"But if we were to stay, change and lead in Europe, we would allow the government to focus on the NHS, schools, jobs and driving up living standards instead of the intractable negotiations.
"This is why I believe we must have a final say, a people's vote, on Theresa May's Brexit deal.
"That vote must be between taking the deal and exiting the EU or keeping the deal we currently have."
The letter has been coordinated by the Best For Britain campaign, which is bankrolled by billionaire investor George Soros, with the group describing the action as a "turning point".
Chief executive Eloise Todd said: "For the first time MPs are now calling for an option to remain within the EU.
"This is a turning point in the Brexit battle. MPs are signing this letter because their constituents are becoming more and more worried about the future.
"Brexit threatens to be the biggest act of economic self-harm in history."
Earlier this week, a group of Welsh Labour MPs backed a separate campaign for a public vote on the final Brexit deal.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is opposed to another EU referendum and sacked Owen Smith from his shadow cabinet after the MP called for a second vote earlier this year.
But, Mr Corbyn will also come under further pressure to alter his Brexit stance following the launch of a new campaign by his left-wing supporters.
The group, called The Left Against Brexit, has announced a nationwide tour this summer as they attempt to halt Britain's departure from the EU.
The tour is promising "an in depth discussion about how we can stop Brexit", with speakers to include Manuel Cortes, general secretary of the TSSA trade union; Michael Chessum, who was on the first steering committee of the Corbyn-backing Momentum group; and Ann Pettifor, who was appointed to Labour's economic advisory committee following Mr Corbyn's election as Labour leader.
Labour MP Catherine West and the party's MEPs Seb Dance, Julie Ward and Lucy Anderson are also listed as speakers, along with Green MP Caroline Lucas.
Endorsing the campaign, Mr Cortes said: "There is nothing about Brexit that will make life better for the working class.
"It was a right wing brainchild won - and only narrowly - on a deceitful programme of dog whistle racism and the big lie that the NHS would get £350m a week.
"The left should unite now and come together to stop this Tory act of war against our class. Our job is always to defend our people against the boss class.
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"Supporting Tory/UKIP Brexit is unacceptable class collaboration. Full stop."
Ms Lucas, who is stepping down as Green Party co-leader, told the Labour leadership if it "really wants to protect the many not the few then it urgently needs to oppose the government's Brexit shambles".
Original ArticlePolitics
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