A Cumbrian MP has issued a strong warning against a second Brexit referendum, saying the damage it would cause should not be underestimated.

Justice minister Rory Stewart has also spoken of the backlash he has faced since publicly supporting the Prime Minister’s controversial deal - yet he still believes it is the right thing to do for everyone.

The Penrith and the Border MP has been one of Theresa May’s biggest allies since she revealed details of the deal she had secured with the European Union.

Yesterday, after days of debate, the Prime Minister unexpectedly announced she was delaying her Brexit vote, rather than see the deal being defeated in the House of Commons.

She agreed to go back to the EU for further reassurances about Northern Ireland, but questioned whether fellow MPs really wanted to deliver Brexit at all.

Mr Stewart has today issued a strong warning against a second referendum, saying it would deepen divisions in the UK.

“Anyone holding a second referendum is gambling ‘no-Brexit or no-deal’. Either would be significantly worse than the Prime Minister’s deal for the losing side.

“If Remain won, the campaign for a third referendum would begin at once. Britain would limp back into Europe, seeking to return to the family half way through the divorce proceedings, with the Europeans and international investors pityingly aware that there was already a campaign to leave once more, and with many new, more radical parties taking the argument to the streets under the banner of betrayal. Divisions would be deepened not resolved,” he said.

Mr Stewart has today explained why he is still backing Mrs May - despite heavy criticism and personal abuse from both remain and leave supporters.

He said: “Every day I am told that my support for the Prime Minister’s deal makes me a traitor to my constituents and nation.

“We now stand divided - north against south, Scotland against England, old against young – with neither side taking seriously the other’s values, or identity.

“The strongest argument for the Brexit deal is that is addresses these divisions.”

He accepted that there isn’t currently a parliamentary majority to get the deal through, but believes that once Mrs May returns from Europe, MPs will have to accept a very similar deal to the one currently on the table.

Mr Stewart explained: “Most of the ‘alternatives’ in Parliament claim to represent the middle ground; but are only broad guesses about what could be negotiated with Europe. Her deal is an actual agreement that has been reached after two years and thousands of hours of practical negotiation.

“A Brexit deal will never please those who want no Brexit or no deal. But this must be the most pragmatic and moderate response to a deeply polarised nation.

“This is why I remain convinced that logic will prevail. It may do so in the end through parliamentary arithmetic, but the result will neatly, if inadvertently, reflect much deeper British traditions of pragmatism and compromise,” he added.