Corbyn fights for Brexit referendum to be 'only an option'

As I understand it, the words being argued over at Labour's ruling NEC are "the option of".

What do I mean by that? Well the recommendation from Andrew Fisher and the leader's office – ie Jeremy Corbyn - is that its manifesto for the EU elections should say that in the event the party cannot reach an acceptable Brexit deal with the government (which no one believes it will be able to do) or if a no-deal Brexit appeared to become a serious option, then Labour "would support the option of" a confirmatory Brexit referendum.

Now the problem with that wording for the likes of Tom Watson, the GMB, the TSA, Margaret Beckett and George Howarth - among others - is that it appears to leave some wriggle room for Labour not to support a referendum (which is exactly what Jeremy Corbyn is said to want).

So NEC members are talking and talking about whether those words should be retained or dumped. And I am told we are still some hours away from Jeremy Corbyn summing up.

Those close to Labour's leaders think he will win and those words so precious to him - "the option of" – will feature in the EU elections manifesto. But it's not over till it's over, as one source said to me.

UPDATE 4.46PM

So Jeremy Corbyn has defeated his deputy Tom Watson. As I pointed out earlier, Labour’s leader wanted the referendum to remain solely a last option, and he won at the emergency NEC meeting.

And when the leader’s office briefed me yesterday they had the numbers to win at the NEC, they were right.