The big issue at this week's Labour conference has been the party's position on Brexit, specifically whether it would back a public vote on the deal and whether that vote would include a Remain option.
But it's unclear what the party's actual position is: The last 48 hours have seen fast-changing and often completely contradictory statements from senior frontbenchers and union leaders,
There are suspicions the party is employing a strategy of "constructive ambiguity" — deliberately keeping the policy vague and not coming to any firm decisions in order to avoid a split between the members, the leadership and Labour leave voters.
So: Here are Labour's Brexit positions on a public vote, according to senior party figures – in full.
1. Sunday morning: A second Brexit referendum would only be a choice between the government's deal, or no deal – a vote to Remain is not an option.
So @LenMcCluskey tells @JPonpolitics that if there is a people’s vote, remain should not even be on the ballot paper. It should be Theresa May’s deal vs no deal.
This was put forward by Unite union boss and top Corbyn ally Len McCluskey, who said a second Brexit referendum should *not* have an option to remain in the EU. Clear enough, right?
2. Very late on Sunday night: "all options" are in fact "on the table".
white smoke! - motion will be 'if we cannot get a General Election Labour must support all options remaining on the table, including campaigning for a public vote' - NB 'on terms of Brexit' has gone so could be in/out vote, not just on deal
At 11.45pm on Sunday, after five long hours of deliberations, the party agreed the wording of a motion to keep "all options" — *including* a public vote with a Remain option — "on the table". A reversal, but also pretty clear, no?
3. Monday morning: We regret to inform you Remain is in fact not an option.
But at 8am on Monday morning, John McDonnell said he agreed with Len McCluskey, and ruled out Remain being on the ballot paper.
4. Monday lunchtime: Actually, on second thoughts, it is.
Starmer absolutely adamant decision of meeting last night was definitely not to take anything off the table - and a vote to remain may well have to be one of the options he told us
However: On Monday lunchtime shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer insisted the option for a Remain vote ~was~ being kept on the table, contradicting McDonnell.
5. A bit later on Monday: Yep, all options definitely, definitely on the table!
And McDonnell by this point, apparently agreed with Starmer. All was well.
John McDonnell has sort of clarified his second Brexit vote comments. He said: "Keir is right. We are keeping all the options on the table." Asked if that included Remain: "...we are saying respect the past referendum and I just tell you we have to be careful what we wish for."
6. Tuesday morning: All options are on the table – except extending Article 50.
Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer tells Sky News - Labour is "the opposition and it is up to us to provide different options" and in the event of a public vote on Brexit "we are not ruling out Remain"
Starmer gets a standing ovation for an ad-lib in his conference speech: "nobody is ruling out Remain as an option". The line was not included in the draft text sent to journalists. Starmer adds: "I don’t think at this stage anybody is talking about extending Article 50.
7. Tuesday afternoon: Erm, you know we said Remain was on the table...
On Tuesday afternoon Unite deputy leader Steve Turner told the conference hall that Starmer was, in fact, wrong – and Labour's position was that any public vote would be on deal or no deal.
Shots fired.. Unite now fire back at Sir Keir. Steve Turner: "Despite what Keir said earlier it is a vote on the terms of exit. "
8. Tuesday afternoon: Erm, you know that other time we said extending Article 50 WASN'T on the table...?
Thornberry: "[we] need to extend article 50, and essentially turn up in Europe and say the ‘grown ups have turned up now, let's sit down and talk"
Keir Starmer this morning: 'I don’t think at this stage anybody is talking about extending Article 50.' Emily Thornberry this afternoon: 'We need to extend Article 50.'
So where are we now? No one's entirely sure. And maybe, just maybe, that's the result Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn wanted all along. In which case, you have to say he's played a blinder.
