Support for a second referendum on Brexit appears to be growing among Labour MPs.

Richard Burden, Labour MP for Birmimgham Northfield, is the latest West Midlands MP to say he could back a so-called People’s Vote.

Jess Phillips, Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, and Roger Godsiff, Labour MP for Birmingham Hall Green, have already come out as fully signed-up supporters of the People’s Vote campaign.

It’s a different story as far as Conservative MPs in the West Midlands are concerned.

None have said they want a second referendum.

And there is very little support for attempts to remove Theresa May from office among local Tories.

Staffordshire MP Sir Bill Cash has sent a letter saying he has no confidence in the Prime Minister, but other local Conservatives have criticised calls for a leadership contest.

Under Conservative Party rules, if 48 Tory MPs write letters saying they have no confidence in Theresa May then a vote will be held on whether to remove her.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, chair of the backbench European Research Group (ERG), has led calls for Mrs May to go.

But other members of the ERG, such as Dudley South MP Mike Wood, point out that it’s not a party within a party. Many members sign up simply because they want to receive copies of the ERG’s research, he said.

Mike Wood, Tory MP for Dudley South
Mike Wood, Tory MP for Dudley South

Mr Wood said he had no plans to write a no-confidence letter. He also said, however, that he was unlikely to vote for Mrs May’s proposed Brexit deal in Parliament, unless changes were made.

Sutton Coldfield MP Tory MP Andrew Mitchell has warned colleagues that attempting to depose Mrs May would do “untold damage” to the party.

Solihull Conservative MP Julian Knight said: “Any challenge to the Prime Minister at this time is a complete distraction.”

And Lichfield Tory Michael Fabricant, a firm supporter of Brexit, said: “The last thing we need right now is a vote of confidence in the Prime Minister.”

However, Mr Fabricant also suggested he might change his mind if Mrs May fails to abandon her proposed deal and to “work for a no-deal Brexit”.

While there’s little support for a leadership contest - at least for now - there’s also little enthusiasm among Conservative MPs for the Prime Minister’s proposed Brexit deal.

Most Tories either oppose it outright or say they have yet to make up their minds.

Mr Mitchell said he was reading the 558-page proposed deal thoroughly and would listen to the views of constituents.

“I will then vote in the way I believe to be in the best interests of Sutton Coldfield,” he said.

And Mr Knight said he would wait to see what emerges from the EU Council on November 25.

He said: “More will become clear after the EU Council in terms of what will be put before Parliament to vote on.”

MP Caroline Spelman

Many Conservatives are worried about proposals in Mrs May’s agreement that could, potentially, ensure the UK stays in the EU’s Customs Union for an indefinite period.

The Prime Minster says this “backstop” measure could be required to ensure there is no hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, though she also says her intention is to find another way to deal with the issue.

Mr Fabricant said: “The reason why I oppose the Chequers Agreement is because we could find ourselves in a position where we cannot unilaterally decide to leave the Customs Union.”

However, there are Conservatives willing to give the deal their whole-hearted support.

They include Meriden Conservative MP Caroline Spelman, who will support the deal when it comes to a vote in the House of Commons.

She said: “This deal gives us back control over our borders, our law making and our money so why reject it?

“We will not have the same degree of influence over the club we are leaving but, just like a divorce, there is always a price.

“For the fresh start the country voted for at the referendum, this is the best deal on offer and the EU has said it will not improve on it.”

Tory MPs generally agree publicly or privately that the deal has almost no chance of winning approval from the House of Commons, as there are too many Conservative MPs who will vote against it.

The one thing that could save it, some MPs say, is if Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn whips his MPs to abstain on the vote or allows a free vote, in an attempt to paper over divisions in his own party.

But while that’s not impossible, it seems unlikely to happen.

Richard Burden
Richard Burden MP

What nobody quite knows is what would happen if the deal is rejected.

Labour’s position is that a general election should be held.

But Richard Burden said he could support a second referendum, if no general election takes place.

He said: “If Parliament will neither endorse Mrs May’s deal nor accept crashing out of the EU without a deal, how do we break the logjam, particularly if the Conservatives and their erstwhile allies in Northern Ireland’s DUP also refuse to vote for a General Election that might allow a different government to change course?

“Faced with that situation, we will have to look at other options and I currently do not see any practical alternative but to ask the people to decide the course the UK should take in a people’s vote.”