Keir Starmer is secretly “desperate” to be the next Labour leader and is “suggesting” he will oppose any compromised Brexit unless a referendum was attached, claimed Independent MP Nick Boles. The ex-Tory member argued that those with leadership ambitions “on both sides” of cross-party Brexit talks are trying to make the politics “harder rather than easier”. Mr Boles told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme: “Even perhaps more importantly Keir Starmer, Labour’s Shadow Brexit Secretary, who’s in the negotiating team and indeed in it’s early stages led it. Everybody knows that firstly, Keir Starmer desperately wants there to be a second referendum. And secondly, desperately wants to be the next leader of the Labour Party.

“So there is in a sense, and this is true on both sides, you’ve had Jeremy hunt’s intervention in recent weeks, on both sides there are people who have leadership ambitions within their parties.

“Who are trying to make the politics harder rather than easier, and you don’t have the existing leaders.”

BBC presenter Mishal Husain asked: “But are they right on the numbers, that there would be little point reaching a deal without a public vote attached to it because you just wouldn’t get it through the House of Commons if you’re relying on those Labour MPs?”

The MP for Grantham and Stamford replied: “No I don’t think they are.

On both sides there are people who have leadership ambitions within their parties

Nick Boles

“Because while of course it is true that certainly 120 to 150 Labour MPs might support what’s called a confirmatory referendum, so a referendum that would be attached to any deal that was done, that is not precisely what Keir Starmer and Tom Watson were suggesting.

“They were suggesting that they would oppose any compromised Brexit unless there was a referendum attached.

“And that I think is not 120 to 150 MPs, certainly when I talked in the last couple of days to Labour MPs, they do not think that it’s more than 80 who would actually implacably oppose any compromised deal.

“Even a compromised deal that gave Labour most of what’s in its own policy.”

The comments follow Mr Starmer urging for a “confirmatory vote” on a deal produced from cross-party talks.

He said: “I’ve made it clear that at this stage, at this 11th hour, any deal that comes through from this government ought to be subject to the lock of a confirmatory vote.”

“It has got to be something truly deliverable. For many of my colleagues, they have made it clear that they will not vote for a deal without a confirmatory vote attached to it.

“So if you want that stable majority, that has to be taken into account. And without it, it is impossible to see how the numbers would stack up.”

He added: “A significant number of Labour MPs, probably 120 if not 150, would not back a deal if it hasn’t got a confirmatory vote.

“If the point of the exercise is to get a sustainable majority, over several weeks or months of delivering on the implementation, you can’t leave a confirmatory vote out of the package.”

The Prime Minister could hold a series of “definitive votes” on a range of Brexit options if talks with Labour break down, according to insiders.

The plan would see MPs asked to rank different Brexit outcomes in order of preference and will be put into action if Mrs May and Mr Corbyn fail to reach an agreement.

Sources said Downing Street saw the definitive votes proposal as a last throw of the dice as the Government attempts to find a Brexit strategy acceptable to a majority of MPs.

A compromise deal with Labour is still the Prime Minister’s preferred option but MPs will be offered votes on alternatives if talks break down.

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