Jeremy Lefroy rules out backing second Brexit referendum

The Stafford MP is set to support the Prime Minister's EU withdrawal deal when it returns to Parliament for a second meaningful vote on Tuesday, two months after it was defeated by a record majority of 230.

He says he is hopeful that it will pass, and has vowed to stick with the Conservatives 2017 manifesto pledge not to push for another public vote on Brexit.

Calls for another referendum have gathered pace in recent weeks, with centre-right group Right to Vote insisting it would result in the UK voting to stay in the EU.

Conservative MP Mr Lefroy voted for Theresa May's EU withdrawal deal in January, but was one of 17 Tories to rebel against the Government by voting for Caroline Spelman's amendment to rule out a 'no deal' Brexit.

He maintains that leaving without a deal would be "a disaster" for the UK, and added: "I am continuing to support the withdrawal deal and hope it goes through next week.

"Both the Conservative Party and Labour said at the last election that they would not have a second referendum and that remains my position."

Councillor Jonathan Price, who represents the Holmcroft ward on the borough council and is a member of the Stafford Conservative Association and the county council, is also against another poll.

He said: "My own personal opinion is that I would not back a second vote.

"It would make a complete mockery of what the referendum was all about, and that goes for whether I voted in or out.

"We held a referendum and as a country we gave our answer. Our MPs have been elected to deliver on that result.

"A lot of people are just sick to death of hearing about Brexit and just want us to focus on local issues that need addressing. That's where my priorities lie."

Ann Foster, the chairman of the Stafford Conservative Association, said she was opposed to another referendum.

According to analysis commissioned by pro-EU group Best for Britain, 53.8 per cent of voters in Stafford support another referendum. In the 2016 referendum, 56 per cent of voters in Stafford backed Leave.

Right to Vote chairman, Dr Phillip Lee MP, said: "Ultimately I think the pressure is on both Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn to realise that nothing approaches the 2016 promises on Brexit, and we have to allow the public the right to vote and a final say."

The UK Trade Policy Observatory, a collaboration between Chatham House and the University of Sussex, has predicted that 1,150 jobs in Stafford will be lost in the event of a 'no-deal' Brexit.