THE Welsh Assembly has voted to back a second Brexit referendum.

Earlier this week AMs voted 36 to 16 in favour of a Plaid Cymru motion calling for the Assembly to declare "unequivocal support for a confirmatory referendum on whatever terms proposed by any prime minister that the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, with remain on the ballot paper".

Although the motion is non-binding on the Welsh Government, it represents a significant shift in position from Welsh Labour. Although a number of Labour AMs had personally supported a second referendum, the party had not previously formally done so.

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This comes after first minister Mark Drakeford said, following the ongoing impasse over the Brexit negotiations, the impending resignation of Theresa May as prime minister and the European Election results, he now supported a so-called people's vote.

Presenting the motion Plaid Cymru South Wales East AM Delyth Jewell said: "The result of the 2016 referendum delivered a narrow win for a flawed, possibly criminally negligent campaign that made promises to the people I represent that will never be fulfilled.

"Worse, the people who made those claims knew this. They didn't care, so we have come to this.

"Members on the other side of this argument often talk about respecting democracy - well, democracy is a constant, it is not a fixed moment.

"The most democratic thing is to give the people a final say - to pretend otherwise is to pull the wool over everyone's eyes."

But the motion was opposed by the Assembly's Conservative group and the newly-formed Brexit Party Group, with Tory AM Darren Millar saying it was "making a mockery of democracy".

"If you want to work together to campaign for remain, you've missed the boat, because there's not going to be another referendum, I hope, not in my lifetime, on this particular issue," he said.

And Brexit Party group leader Mark Reckless said to hold a second vote would be "to deny democracy".

"To respect democracy, we must ensure in our country that the people who respect democracy win over those who wish to block Brexit and deny democracy," he said.

The motion was voted through after winning the support of Labour AMs, with Torfaen's Lynne Neagle - who has long supported a second referendum - among those to speak in support of it.

"Now is not the time to point fingers," she said. "Now is the time to unite and to fight on behalf of our communities in Wales. This is a moment of national emergency and nobody in government or opposition who believes we need to act to confront it should be thinking of party advantage over national interest."

Responding to the debate, counsel general and Brexit minister Jeremy Miles said the Welsh Government had been "consistent in seeking to find a way to deliver on that result and to do the best for Wales in the process".

"Now, once again, we are defining our own way forward by making clear that, after three wasted years, it is time again to make the case for remaining in the EU," he said. "After those three years, there is sadly no consensus coming forward in Parliament and, in a country still so divided, the Conservative leadership election will provide no solution. Unless action is taken, it will inevitably lead to only one costly outcome - a hardline Brexit or a catastrophic no-deal of the type so shamefully advocated by Mark Reckless and Darren Millar in the chamber over the course of the last few days in particular. We cannot and will not stand by while that takes place."

Speaking after the vote, Ms Jewell said: “Democracy is a constant and putting Brexit back to the people, with Remain on the ballot paper, is the best and most democratic thing to do. It is also the only conceivable way out of this Brexit mess and to begin healing the divisions in our society."