Pro-Brexit convert Jeremy Hunt has claimed no-deal would be better than no Brexit, as he all but confirmed he will run for Tory leader.

In a speech to political journalists in Westminster, the formerly pro-Remain foreign secretary spelled out his new pro-Brexit credentials.

Quizzed about the Tory succession, in which he is expected to be a candidate, he said the next leader should support Brexit, "as I do", even if they failed to vote Leave in the past.

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"It's got to be someone who believes in Brexit, because that is the fundamental mission of the government at the moment," said Mr Hunt.


"You have to be someone who believes, as I do - actually to be honest I think all the people who are touted to be leadership contenders do - that we can make an extraordinary success of our post-EU future."

PM: We need to leave EU as soon as possible

And then, asked directly if he would be a candidate to replace Theresa May as Tory leader when she stands down, the foreign secretary replied coyly: "Wait and see!"

In his speech, Mr Hunt - who backed Remain in the EU referendum, said he wanted a "clean" Brexit in order to deliver on the result of the 2016 vote.

"As far as Brexit is concerned, my view is very straightforward: we have to leave, we have to leave quickly, we have to leave cleanly," he said.

"I see Brexit as the biggest democratic challenge that we've had in our lifetimes because the political establishment, myself included, didn't want Brexit or vote for Brexit.

"We've always been telling people that we are one of the oldest and greatest democracies in the world and it's as if people have been looking at us and saying we will test that by asking you guys to do something that you don't want to do.

'Do not waste this time'

"It's absolutely essential that we pass that test and then we make a success of Brexit at the other side."

And in a clear bid to woo hardline Tory Brexiteers, he said: "If there was a binary choice between no-deal or no Brexit I would choose no-deal, because I think the democratic risk of no Brexit ultimately is higher than the economic risk of no-deal."

Mr Hunt added, however: "But the reality is that this parliament will not allow no-deal and I personally don't think we should go back to the country and try and get a different parliament until we have left the European Union because that is what we promised voters we would do at the last election and that is what they are absolutely expecting us to do.

"I would always prefer to leave with a deal because I think there would be disruption without a deal, and it's very difficult to predict what that disruption would be.

"I think it would potentially would be very significant and I think that is something anyone sensible would wish to avoid.

"But I've never thought that in the end we couldn't make a success as a country of whatever circumstances we had to face."