WEST BERKSHIRE Council should formally support a second referendum, according to Liberal Democrat councillors. 

The council should also write to the three local MPs, asking them to do ‘all they can to prevent a no deal Brexit’, they said. 

That is according to a motion which will be voted on September 12, put forward by Councillor Lee Dillon (Lib Dem, Thatcham North East). 

The motion also states the council should write to Michael Gove, the minister in charge of no deal preparation, to ask for more resources to prepare for a no deal. 

Cllr Dillon is the opposition leader and the prospective parliamentary candidate for the Liberal Democrats. 

Cllr Tony Vickers (Lib Dem, Newbury Wash Common), who is the chair of the West Berkshire Liberal Democrat group, wrote to all Conservative councillors, asking them to support the motion.

He wrote: “Now that we know what the options are — the deal the previous Conservative government took over two years to negotiate, or a no deal — we hope you agree with us that the public deserve the opportunity to tell parliament what they really want.

“If the majority are not happy with either option, and also do not want a Corbyn-led government, surely it is better to move swiftly to a people’s vote on the deal, remain or no deal.

“I urge you to support Lee’s motion as a whole next Thursday. It will send a positive message of encouragement to your former Conservative MP for Newbury, and the majority of those who voted in the referendum in this district.” 

Richard Benyon, the MP for Newbury, was chucked out of the Conservative party last week for voting against the government. He and a majority of MPs voted successfully to take control of the agenda in parliament. 

That vote was followed by another one forcing Boris Johnson, the prime minister, to ask the EU to extend Article 50, if a deal has not been reached by October 19. Mr Benyon will not stand in the next general election, the Newbury Weekly News reported this morning. 

Several Liberal Democrat councillors wrote to Mr Benyon thanking him for voting against the government. 

Cllr Vickers said: “I was particularly struck by Richard’s comment: ‘A no deal Brexit would not particularly hurt me, but it would have a huge impact on those who are least able to cope.’ We, surely, can all agree with that.”