Constituency Labour Party calls for referendum on final Brexit deal

The Dudley South CLP voted to put forward the motion, which members insisted was all about 'putting Dudley first'.

Dudley South was one of the highest 'Leave' voting areas in the country in the EU referendum, with 70.4 per cent of people backing Brexit.

The decision has drawn criticism from Dudley South's Tory MP Mike Wood, who accused the CLP of showing 'utter contempt' for the electorate.

Across the country more than 100 CLPs are thought to have put forward similar motions, in a move that could prompt a debate on the issue at the party conference, which starts on September 23.

Councillor Qadar Zada, who represents Netherton, Woodside and St Andrew's and is chair of the Dudley South CLP, said: "This motion was not so much about the 'in' or 'out' debate, it was about putting Dudley first whatever happens.

"No one actually knows whether Dudley will benefit or lose from Brexit, because the Government has not been clear about what the final deal actually entails.

"We don’t even know if the Prime Minister will even be leading the negotiations as her own position is at stake.

"All that members have asked for is that Dudley is put at the heart of the final outcome. We want to make sure that the people of Dudley get the chance to decide whether or not the deal works for them.

"I don't think that is an unreasonable ask for either our members or our residents.

"What we are asking for is to respect the referendum and give the people what they thought they were getting. If the Government decides to stay in the EU, then we would like it reformed as our residents were not happy with its current operations."

Mr Wood, who was the only pro-Brexit MP in the Black Country in the run up to the 2016 poll, said: "This just goes to show the utter contempt for voters held by the Labour Party in Dudley South, an area where the vast majority of people voted for Brexit.

"It is interesting to see that during the [2017 general] election Labour told their voters to support Brexit, but now the election is out of the way they appear to have changed their tune."

Calls for a referendum on the final deal have been spearheaded by several groups, including Labour for a People’s Vote, which wants Jeremy Corbyn to shift the party's official position and oppose Brexit.