'They have bigger concerns than Brexit': Eleanor Smith on constituent's views

The debate around leaving the European Union is a huge talking point ahead of the crunch vote on December 12.

Brexit has divided politics since the Leave vote was cast during the EU referendum on June 23, 2016.

Wolverhampton was among the areas to vote in favour of Brexit, with a 62.6 per cent turnout for Leave.

However, Wolverhampton South West parliamentary candidate Eleanor Smith, who is defending her seat, said: "You know what, in all honesty, no, there is not a lot of people talking about Brexit on the doorstep.

"People are saying there is bigger things."

Ms Smith's former Wolverhampton seat had the lowest Leave vote margin across the city, with 54.37 per cent voting for Brexit.

Last year, Ms Smith said she was against holding a second referendum. However she has now fallen in line with Labour's stance, which is to do just that.

The party is offering voters the chance for a second referendum, with the option of leaving with a Labour-led deal, or remaining.

Ms Smith, who was elected in 2017, continued: "I think my concern was, regarding a second referendum, whether or not how it would look because people had voted.

"But one thing I have seen, since I have been in parliament, is that the type of deal that Theresa May had brought in, it wasn't good for our community, it wasn't good for Wolverhampton.

"And also the one that Mr Johnson is trying to bring in, that is not good for Wolverhampton and the conurbation of the Black Country.

"It won't help the workers, and it won't help us.

"Actually what we have said, and I truly believe that, is that we will go and negotiate with the EU a far better deal; a custom's union, that's what we need to do, workers' rights need to be included, environmental issues will be in there.

"Then we will put it back to the people."

The Labour politician, who previously worked as a theatre nurse, said the party will reunite the country after it has been left "so divided" by Brexit.

"For me, it is about bringing the country together," she added. "At the moment it is do divided. That is what our remit is, that is what our role is, to bring the country."

Mr Smith was speaking at a hustings event at The Heritage Centre, Whitmore Reans - which is the former headquarters of Enoch Powell.

Mr Powell was a politician who held the seat and is well-known for his "Rivers of Blood" speech in 1968, which criticised mass immigration to the UK.

Dawn Butler, Labour's shadow cabinet secretary for Women & Equalities, joined Ms Smith at the hustings, and said it was poignant they were speaking at the centre.

Ms Butler said: "It shows how far we have come since then. They used to have a picture outside my office of Enoch Powell. And I made a polite request for the House authorities to remove it.

"After a few weeks, I said if you don't remove it, I will. And then they removed. I think it is important that this is very significant in how far we have come, not just in Wolverhampton, but society.

"Everyone deserves to be respected and everyone deserves to be treated fairly and compassionately."

Speaking about Brexit, Ms Butler added: "People now know, we all do, a lot more than we did in 2016. Now people can make an informed choice and have the final say.

"It is only the Labour Party that is offering to unite the country."