Former UK Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation Sam Gyimah has announced his intention to join the Conservative leadership race on Sunday, according to Reuters.
Gyimah has stated that he was the only contender to the post among the thirteen candidates to support a second referendum on any Brexit deal.
The former cabinet minister quit his post in November 2018 to show his disapproval of Theresa May’s Brexit deal, which he described as "a deal in name only". He said that he stepped down because he wanted to be free to back a second referendum on the UK's withdrawal from the European Union.
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Last week, Theresa May announced that she would resign as leader of the ruling Conservative Party on 7 June over her failure to deliver Brexit.
Her resignation came amid pressure from within the party and the continuing deadlock over the EU withdrawal agreement, which was rejected by the UK parliament three times.
Following the PM's announcement, several major UK political figures stated their willingness to enter the Tory leadership race, including former foreign secretary Boris Johnson, the incumbent foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt and the home secretary Sajid Javid, among others.