Britain should have a second referendum on the terms of leaving the European Union if it can secure a new deal to control its borders, a Conservative Cabinet minister says.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, becomes the first minister to suggest that Britain could hold another vote on Brexit despite the Leave victory last week.

He says the new Prime Minister must be allowed to “negotiate a deal” with Brussels and “put it to the British people” by either calling a general election or having another referendum.

He says that Britain must remain in the single market and reach a “sensible compromise” with the EU of freedom of movement rules to allow the UK to control migration.

Mr Hunt says: “We must not invoke Article 50 straight away because that puts a time limit of two years on negotiations after which we could be thrown out with no deal at all. So before setting the clock ticking, we need to negotiate a deal and put it to the British people, either in a referendum or through the Conservative manifesto at a fresh General Election.”

Mr Hunt’s comments came as Poland became the first EU nation to say that Britain should have a second referendum - in stark contrast to other EU nations’s calls for Britain to leave immediately.