Remainer Matt Hancock confirms he WILL run to replace Theresa May
And the Health Secretary added: 'I believe from the bottom of my heart that we need a leader for the future, not just for now.'
REMAINER Matt Hancock has confirmed he WILL run to replace Theresa May as PM.
The Health Secretary said this morning: "I am running to win."
And he added: "I believe from the bottom of my heart that we need a leader for the future, not just for now."
The Sun revealed the 40-year-old was set to launch his bid today, after he told fellow MPs the night before last at a function: "I am ready to lead".
And he said this morning on Radio 4 he was "honoured" by the number of MPs who had demanded he run to be PM.
He promised to "be honest about the trade offs" of Brexit to build a mandate to get us out of the EU without having a general election.
Mr Hancock, who used to be the Culture Secretary before he was promoted, said: "Delivering Brexit is mission critical.
"It must be done as soon as possible, and it must be done in this Parliament."
But he refused to rule out a THIRD Brexit extension after October 31.
Mr Hancock said: "We need to break with the horrible politics with the last three years. We need a fresh start, a fresh face and win the battles of the 2020s to make sure this country is prosperous for many years to come."
Vowing to win over younger voters to the Tories he said: "We need to look to the future, to all of those who aren't voting for us now.
"We need voters from the younger generation."
He promised to deliver Brexit but also said he would focus on delivering a domestic agenda to "make this country a wonderful place to live".
What next after Theresa May quits?
THERESA May's resignation on Friday kickstarted the Tory leadership election.
The Prime Minister will formally stand down as party leader on June 7 - but will stay in place while the new PM is being chosen, rather than handing over to an interim chief such as David Lidington.
The leadership contest, overseen by party chairman Brandon Lewis, will take around six weeks.
Any Tory MP can enter the race, and the list of contenders is then whittled down by the parliamentary party.
MPs vote in multiple rounds, eliminating one candidate each time until just two are left.
The party's 120,000 activists then choose behind the final shortlist of two, with the winner declared leader and Prime Minister.
When Mrs May became leader, she didn't have to submit to a vote of members because Andrea Leadsom pulled out of the race.
So the last time activists have had a say on the leadership was 2005, when David Cameron defeated David Davis.
If elected by the Tory members, 40-year-old Mr Hancock would be the youngest PM for 200 years.
A Remainer who has largely stayed out of the Brexit debate, Mr Hancock is seen as the standard bearer for Tory modernisers.
So far Mr Hancock is the third Cabinet minister to formally declare they will run to be PM.
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and International Development boss Rory Stewart have already declared.
Mr Stewart said this morning he could never serve under a PM who was pushing for No Deal - which could put him out of a job if Boris won the leadership race.
Last night Amber Rudd said she wouldn't stand as didn't believe in Brexit enough.
"The members and country want someone who is more enthusiastic about Brexit than I am," she said.
But she vowed to work together with all candidates to find a way through Brexit - including Boris Johnson.
"I could serve with anybody who can work on a solution to this very difficult problem of Brexit which we need to get right," she said.
However, she warned: "I'd be very concerned about someone who is enthusiastic about no deal... we are seeking to find a deal."
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More than a dozen MPs are poised to join the scramble to be PM after Mrs May yesterday bid a tearful farewell to her time in No10.
Liam Fox has refused to rule out running but said it would be "unlikely".
Tearful Theresa May broke down as she gave her resignation speech from the steps of Downing Street last night.
The PM confessed she now has no chance of ever getting her Brexit deal through Parliament but insisted "I have done my best" to deliver on the referendum result.
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