Chancellor Philip Hammond today fuelled Remainers' hopes that he could come out for a second referendum on Brexit .
The Cabinet minister has long been known for his pro-EU views, and admitted they make him too "divisive" to stand for the Tory leadership.
Now he has said if Parliament is still deadlocked once a new Tory leader gets into 10 Downing Street, the decision will have to go back to the public.
By that he meant either an election or a second referendum.
But Mr Hammond also said a general election may not be able to "resolve the question" because the main parties are so divided.
That would only leave a second referendum.
On the subject of a second referendum he said: "I’m not going to commit myself today to that."
But he added: "If Parliament can’t resolve it then Parliament will have to decide how we remit it back to the people, whether it is in the form of a general election or a referendum."
And he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It will be a stain on parliament’s reputation if in the end we have to admit that we’ve been unable to agree how to discharge that mandate from the people.
"If we do get to the point that parliament has to admit it cannot resolve this issue then clearly it will have to be remitted back to the people.
"I’m not sure that a general election can resolve the question, for the simple reason that both the main political parties are divided on the issue.
"This is a division that runs not between the parties but within the parties."
Mr Hammond is expected to be sacked as Chancellor if a hard Brexiteer PM comes to power.
If he came out in favour of a second referendum he would be the most high-profile Tory to do so.
Tory grandees Michael Heseltine, Malcolm Rifkind and William Hague are also either in favour of a so-called "People's Vote" or believe one is due to come.
