Theresa May’s former chief of staff says second referendum is the way to solve Brexit logjam

Theresa May's former chief of staff Fiona Hill (right) and Nick Timothy (centre) follow Theresa May in the White House. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA. - Credit: PA Archive/PA Images

Theresa May’s former chief of staff, and the architect of the Tories’ general election manifesto, has admitted a second referendum may be the only way out of the Brexit logjam.

Speaking on the The Week in Westminster on Radio 4, the Brexiteer said: “I think it’s difficult to imagine either the Europeans backing down or parliament backing down, and I think that envitably leads to the conclusion we might be left with some kind of electoral device to cut through the logjam, which could be a referendum, but it could also be an election.”

Asked by presenter and journalist Tom Newton-Dunn if he agreed that the election would be lost if it was held before Brexit had happened, he said: “Yes I think this is the catch 22 the party faces. It’s very hard to imagine the Conservative Party suceeding in a general election when it hasn’t delivered Brexit. But it’s also very difficult to imagine how it can deliver Brexit without something that changes the dynamics in parliament.”

Newton-Dunn responded: “Your electoral device, if another election wouldn’t do it, would only leave a second referendum.”

Timothy said: “And I think that is a possibility they will end up considering.”

Best for Britain CEO Naomi Smith said: “Timothy has got some chutzpah to crawl out of the woodwork now. This man had several opportunities to get May to put her deal to the people but he chose to keep quiet.

“Theresa May has left office because she couldn’t get her deal through. The next PM will face the same problem.

“The only way through the deadlock is to give the people a final say on whether to leave or remain. We’ll be fighting to stop Brexit – to protect jobs, the NHS and our environment.”