Nigel Farage has revealed he is on the verge of backing a second referendum on European Union membership to “kill off” the Remain campaign for a generation.
The former Ukip leader suggested a fresh vote would put an end to “whinging and whining” by opponents of Brexit such as Tony Blair, Nick Clegg and Lord Adonis.
Mr Farage, who played a pivotal role in securing the vote to leave the EU, said his mind was changing on holding a second poll.
Appearing on Channel 5’s The Wright Stuff, he said: “What is for certain is that the Cleggs, the Blairs, the Adonises will never ever ever give up. They will go on whinging and whining and moaning all the way through this process.
“So maybe, just maybe, I’m reaching the point of thinking that we should have a second referendum on EU membership… unless you want to have a multiple-choice referendum which would confuse people.
“I think that if we had a second referendum on EU membership we would kill it off for a generation.
“The percentage that would vote to leave next time would be very much bigger than it was last time round. And we may just finish the whole thing off. And Blair can disappear off into total obscurity.”
Prime Minister Theresa May has insisted a second referendum would be a betrayal of voters and would also lead to a bad deal in exit talks.
But former PM Mr Blair, the Liberal Democrats and other leading Remain campaigners argue voters should be given a say once Brexit negotiations are finalised.
Lord Malloch Brown, chairman of Best for Britain, which opposes Brexit, said: “A second referendum: my message is clear – bring it on.
“This is something that the country needs. Every day we see the disaster of Brexit as we see its impact on our economy, jobs, communities and our society.
“With these comments Nigel Farage is disowning the chaos that trying to leave the EU has wrought on this country. Him and his Brexiteer allies have zero idea of what would come next.”