Britain's Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn challenged whoever becomes the country's new prime minister to test their Brexit plan with a second referendum on European Union membership, saying his opposition party would campaign to remain. 
 

In a letter to Labour members, Corbyn said the party would campaign to stay in the EU to stop any new leader taking Britain out of the bloc without a deal or to stop what he called a "damaging Tory (Conservative) Brexit." 
 

"Whoever becomes the new prime minister should have the confidence to put their deal, or no deal, back to the people in a public vote," Corbyn said in the letter. 
 

"In those circumstances, I want to make it clear that Labour would campaign for Remain against either no deal or a Tory deal that does not protect the economy and jobs." 

Boris Johnson, former British foreign secretary and former mayor of London, is battling current British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt to succeed Theresa May as leader of the Conservative Party and prime minister of the country. 
 

The UK and the EU have agreed to extend the Brexit deadline to October 31, after May's efforts to deliver Brexit by March 29 failed due to insufficient parliamentary support. 

More than three years since voting 52 percent to 48 percent to leave the EU, Britain's two main parties, its parliament and cities and towns across the country are still deeply divided over Brexit, opening the way for smaller parties to grab some share of the vote. 

With Labour struggling in some opinion polls, some in the party want it to adopt a clearer message to tackle the twin challenges from the pro-EU Liberal Democrats and the Brexit Party, led by veteran eurosceptic Nigel Farage. 

Corbyn, an instinctive critic of the EU, has so far resisted calls to make his party a wholesale supporter of a second referendum, keen to keep on board Labour Brexit supporters. 
 

(With inputs from Reuters)