Vote Leave leader Matthew Elliott accuses 'zombie' remainers of bid to overturn Brexit

The man who masterminded Leave’s victory in the referendum campaign has accused “zombie” remainers of a trying to overturn Brexit.

Writing exclusively for The Independent, Matthew Elliott said people calling for a second referendum were hiding what he called a “shoddy plot” behind their “high sounding motives”.

The campaigner who led the Vote Leave drive to pull Britain out of the European Union, argued that a second referendum would incentivise the EU to give the UK a more punitive deal.

It comes as other leading political figures began a debate over whether the country needs another say on Brexit once the terms of the final deal are known.

Mr Elliott said: “But just before the UK slips out the Brussels door, the zombie Remain campaign has come back seeking one last roll of the electoral dice. They are calling for a second referendum, on the final Brexit deal, or as the Liberal Democrats sanctimoniously put it, ‘a first referendum on the facts’.

“Let’s be clear: whatever their high-sounding motives, this is nothing more than a shoddy plot to reverse Brexit, the majority decision of the people of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in a free and fair vote.

“As we now progress to the all-important second phase of the Brexit negotiations, the promise of another referendum at the end of the process would incentivise the EU to give us as punitive a deal as possible, if the option of returning to the status quo were on the table. Given that we know how much Brussels laments and fears the departure of its second biggest net contributor, this belies the true motivations of those calling for another vote.”

Writing for The Independent on Sunday, Lib Dem leader Vince Cable backed the case for a further vote and attacked the Government’s handling of Brexit, pointing to concessions made by the Theresa May to Brussels and the Prime Minister’s weak majority which saw her lose a vote in the Commons four days ago.

He said: “Momentum is now behind a referendum and support will grow on the back of more weeks like this. I’ve said in the past there was a 20 to 25 per cent chance that Brexit won’t happen. I am optimistic that the odds are now moving further in our favour.

“It will be a long process to get to the point when the Government concedes a referendum must happen. Eventually, though, a poll to get them out of a mess of their creation – an Exit from Botched Brexit – could prove too tempting to ignore.

“Brexit has been described as a ‘car crash’. We are only at the start of the skid, but we finally have hope that the slide can be stopped before the car hits the wall.”