Brexit: Hammond says campaign for second referendum is perfectly coherent and deserves to be considered

A fresh Brexit referendum deserves to be considered, Philip Hammond has said, becoming the first cabinet minister to agree its supporters have a case.

The chancellor described a second public vote as a perfectly coherent proposition and agreed that MPs should vote on it this week.

The comment will give an enormous boost to the push for a Final Say referendum, a day after an estimated one million people marched through London to call for it.

Theresa May has repeatedly said she opposes another vote, because it would betray the British public’s decision in the first referendum three years ago.

Speaking on Sky News, Mr Hammond insisted that his number one priority was to ensure the UK left the EU with a deal.

But he took the extraordinary step of urging MPs of all parties to “get themselves together in a room” to find a solution to the crisis, admitting the prime minister’s deal was all-but dead.

And, on a new referendum, the chancellor said: “I’m not sure that there’s a majority in parliament in support of second referendum.

“Many people will be strongly opposed to it, but it’s a coherent proposition. And it deserves to be considered along with the other proposals that you’ve got on the list.”

That list included a softer Brexit, a crash-out no-deal Brexit and revoking Article 50 to scrap departure – only the last two of which Mr Hammond ruled out.

A new referendum is likely to be among the options if MPs successfully seize control of the Commons agenda to stage “indicative votes” on Wednesday.

However, it’s best chance of success is if the prime minister’s deal is allowed to pass – subject to it being confirmed in a referendum, with the alternative of remaining in the EU.

Ms May has hinted she will not allow the third “meaningful vote”, after the Democratic Unionist party read the last rites on it last Friday.

On indicative votes, Mr Hammond said: “One way or another, parliament is going to have the opportunity this week to decide what it is in favour of, and I hope that it will take that opportunity – if it can't get behind the prime minister's deal – to say clearly and unambiguously what it can get behind.”

Crucially, he said a decision had not yet been taken on whether Tories, including all ministers, would be given a free vote – the only way the Commons’ true preference could be revealed.