Burnley MP: 'Second referendum would be a betrayal of Brexit but no deal would be disastrous'

The Labour MP voted against a no deal option as part of last night's indicative votes in Parliament, after hearing from industry leaders of the huge damage it would cause.

Mrs Cooper told the Express how MPs met with the leaders of the CBI, the Trades Union Congress, the National Farmers Union, as well as representatives of the motoring and aerospace industries and the Food and Drink Federation.

All were clear, Mrs Cooper said, that leaving the EU without a deal would cause untold damage to their industries.

"All the groups had different things to say but every single one of them said that no deal would be catastrophic," Mrs Cooper said.

"For instance, the aerospace industry, which employs lots of people in Burnley, works to a 'just in time' method of delivering products. Aircraft parts move fast between different countries, a practice which couldn't be substituted with far-flung nations.

"Meanwhile, representatives from the farmers union told us that 40% of all our sheep exports go to the EU. At the moment there is a paperless, frictioneless movement between Britain and the EU. Leaving without a deal could see farmers suffering a 30% cut in profits and heaps of paperwork."

Mrs Cooper said that while she was opposed to leaving without a deal she also did not believe in revoking Article 50 or holding a second referendum, which she said would be a betrayal of the people who voted for Brexit.

She added: "I'm trying to be consistent and make it clear for people in Burnley where I stand. I'm totally against leaving without a deal as it would be disastrous. However, I don't believe a second referendum would sort anything.

"I told the Burnley people I would respect the outcome and therefore revoking Article 50 would be a betrayal. I'm trying to work for both sides and pursue a sensible course."