Theresa May refused to say how she would vote if there were a new vote, but other cabinet members have been more forthcoming

Theresa May’s refusal to say whether she would now back leaving the EU in a fresh referendum has left fellow remain-backing members of the cabinet split on how to respond to the same question.

At least two members of May’s pro-EU dominated cabinet, Liz Truss and Jeremy Hunt, have said they would change their vote in favour of Brexit if a referendum were held tomorrow.

Others including the loyal culture secretary, Karen Bradley, have followed the prime minister’s uncertain lead in refusing to give a straight answer. “There isn’t going to be a second Brexit referendum. We are delivering Brexit. I believe in Brexit,” she told ITV’s Good Morning Britain.

But asked whether she would describe herself as remain or leave, Bradley replied: “We are leaving the European Union, I am making sure we leave. I’m part of a government that is leaving, so I guess you would say leave.”

Good Morning Britain (@GMB) This morning the Culture Secretary joined the PM in refusing to say how she would vote in a 2nd EU referendum @piersmorgan @susannareid100 pic.twitter.com/04teby43n8

Remain-backing cabinet members yet to be given the same question will be pondering their answers, as senior divisions continue to be exposed on the type of Brexit deal the government is trying to secure.

Truss said that her expectation of immediate economic damage from a leave vote had turned out to be wrong, and acknowledged that Treasury forecasts of its impact were not accurate.



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Speaking to BBC2’s Daily Politics Truss said: “All of us had to make a judgment on what we thought the future would look like. I made a judgment thinking it would be bad for the economy.

“Since we have left, it has been more positive, so the facts have changed and I have changed my mind.”



Daily&SundayPolitics (@daily_politics) "What it means is that the dep't of which you are now number 2, its forecasts were wrong?" @afneil



"Many forecasts were wrong" @trussliz pic.twitter.com/VGP8N0yuGC

Asked whether this meant she now accepted the Treasury’s dire forecasts about leaving the EU were wrong, Truss said: “No forecast is completely accurate. No one has a crystal ball.

“I believed that there would be major economic problems. Those haven’t come to pass and I have also seen the opportunities. The other thing is that there was a big moment on 23 June when British people voted to leave and it was an expression about what kind of country we wanted to be. I think that has changed the debate in this country as well.”

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Earlier this month Hunt told LBC’s Iain Dale that the “arrogance of the EU” in response to negotiating offers by the UK had influenced him to change his mind on the issue.

LBC (@LBC) Jeremy Hunt has changed his mind on Brexit, why? "The arrogance of the EU Commission" @IainDale pic.twitter.com/kC7J2MfPCl

On Tuesday May told Dale she did not answer hypothetical questions.

Dale pressed her on the issue, by pointing out that Hunt had given a clear answer to the same question. “If he says he can change his mind, I don’t quite understand why you can’t, seeing as you are prime minister leading us into Brexit.”

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May replied: “What I did last time around was I looked at everything and came to a judgment and I’d do exactly the same this time around. But we’re not having another referendum and that’s absolutely crucial.”

During prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, the SNP’s Westminster leader, Ian Blackford, asked her why she could not give a “straightforward” answer. She said: “There is no second referendum. The people of the United Kingdom voted and we will be leaving the European Union in March 2019.”

At least 20 members of May’s cabinet backed remaining in the EU in the run-up to last year’s referendum.