Jeremy Corbyn will ask Labour MPs to support an Article 50 bill
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will ask his MPs to not to oppose the triggering of Article 50 if MPs get a vote on the topic.
The Supreme Court will rule next week on whether parliament must provide a green light for Brexit talks to begin, but Corbyn has already indicated that his party's MPs should back any legislation to launch divorce proceedings.
"The referendum made a decision that Britain was to leave the European Union. It was not to destroy jobs or living standards or communities, but it was to leave the European Union and to have a different relationship in the future.
"I've made it very clear the Labour party accepts and respects the decision of the British people. We will not block Article 50," he told Sky News.
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Pressed on whether that would make a vote in favour of the government triggering Article 50 mandatory, Corbyn said: "It means that Labour MPs will be asked to vote in that direction next week, or whenever the vote comes up."
Last year, MPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of Prime Minister Theresa May's plan to launch Brexit talks by the end of March, and Labour's support means that any move to block a bill on Article 50 is likely doomed.
However, MPs on both sides of the house are known to be considering potential amendments that would stress certain priorities in the negotiations.