Speaking to the Yorkshire Post to a regional lobby lunch last week, Ed Balls said:
“As long as we don’t allow ourselves to be caricatured as an anti-referendum party, which we’re not – we’ve absolutely not ruled out a referendum – I personally think that for now this is quite a comfortable position for us. If we allow ourselves either to be the ‘status quo party’ on Europe, or the ‘anti-referendum party’ on Europe, then we’ve got a problem. But I think we would be pretty stupid to allow ourselves to get into either of those positions.”
Of course Ed Miliband recently said “my position is no – we don’t want an in/out referendum”.
More from LabourList
Islington North CLP: Selection contest ‘undemocratic’ if Corbyn not on ballot
Read Keir Starmer’s speech launching Labour’s ‘core retail offer’ for voters
‘Starmer’s speech was a full-on embrace of New Labour, even down to the pledge card’