Sam Gyimah: Tory MP demands second Brexit referendum as he enters leadership race

Ex-minister becomes first Conservative candidate to demand a Final Say

Former minister Sam Gyimah has become the first Tory leadership hopeful to back a new referendum as the number of candidates to succeed Theresa May swelled to 13.

Mr Gyimah put calls for a fresh Brexit vote at the heart of his leadership pitch, saying he would be the only candidate supporting a Final Say vote.

Having resigned as universities minister in protest over Brexit, Mr Gyimah said he wanted to “broaden the race”, to offer an alternative to Brexiteer candidates.

His unexpected intervention came as ex-cabinet minister Andrea Leadsom said she would pursue a “managed” no-deal Brexit, while another rival, Sajid Javid said he was willing to crash the UK out of the EU in October.

Mr Gyimah told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday: “We face a very stark and unwelcome choice. It is either no deal or revoke, via a second referendum, possibly.

“But what most of the candidates are offering is to offer no deal and a fudge on Theresa May’s deal which has been heavily defeated.

“Now parliament is deadlocked, we all know that, we want to move forward, we want to bring the country together.

“That’s why I think a final say on the Brexit deal is the way to achieve that.”

The Independent has been calling for a new Brexit referendum, with its Final Say campaign attracting more than a million supporters.

Mr Gyimah, the MP for East Surrey, insisted he was not attempting to win a cabinet role, saying he would find it “very difficult” to serve as a minister under a leader pursuing a no-deal Brexit.

“No deal will be an abject failure,” he said.

“In the referendum campaign people were promised a deal. In our election manifesto, people were promised a deal.”

So far, cabinet ministers Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove, Sajid Javid and Matt Hancock have thrown their hats into the ring to replace Ms May, while up-and-comers such as Brexit minister James Cleverly are trying their luck.

Outside candidate Rory Stewart, the international development secretary, has won praise after he set off around the country to meet the public, armed with a selfie stick.

His hopes were bolstered by an endorsement by justice secretary David Gauke, who said Mr Stewart was a “strong contender”.

Mr Gauke also said he could not serve in a cabinet that was pursuing a no-deal Brexit but acknowledged it was important to keep the idea on the table.

Former cabinet minister Andrea Leadsom said she would take the UK out of the EU by the end of October in a “managed exit” – and ruled out renegotiating Ms May’s deal.

Ms Leadsom, whose resignation triggered Ms May’s departure, said the prime minister’s deal was “dead” as the EU would not reopen it and MPs have rejected it.

Mr Javid, the home secretary, said he wanted to leave the EU on 31 October as planned but he did not explicitly rule out a delay to Brexit.

He told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show: “I want to leave with a deal but if I have to choose between no deal and no Brexit, I would pick no deal.”

Pressed on the matter, he said: “That’s not something I would do, but we are a parliamentary democracy and what we’ve seen in the last few months is parliament has taken on some extraordinary powers to initiate its own legislation so if it’s statute, if it’s the law, I would not break the law if I was prime minister, of course I would observe the law.”

Elsewhere, Amber Rudd, the work and pensions secretary, warned candidates against supporting a no-deal exit as they had a “brief opportunity to reset the political agenda”.

Ms Rudd is regarded as a possible kingmaker in the upcoming contest, as she heads up a 60-strong caucus of moderate Tories.