MARK Harper has launched his bid to become the new leader of the Conservative Party and, with it, Prime Minister saying Britain will not be able to leave the European Union with a deal on October 31.

The Forest of Dean MP, 49, says he has support to back his bid even though he is the ’underdog’ against big guns like former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and ten other candidates.

Mr Harper, a former Government Chief Whip under David Cameron’s premiership but who has been left out of Theresa May’s Cabinet, is optimistic of success because he is the only one of the dozen now declared who has not served under the now-former Prime Minister.

And that also means he is not tainted with the failure of not delivering Brexit by the specified date of March 29.

He stepped into the fray on Friday morning and said he does not think there is a chance of an exit from the EU with a Withdrawl Agreement deal on October 31, the extension date that Mrs May and the EU agreed.

Mr Harper, speaking on BBC Radio Gloucestershire on Friday morning, said: “When we did the referendum in 2016, we said it was a once-in-a-decade decision but it does not mean you come back to it every few years.

“The people were going to make that decision. The people did that and decided we were going to leave. We have to step up and take these decisions now. If we have to ask them again, we would have failed and I don’t want to fail.

“My position is to leave the EU with a deal but we will need an extension.

“Once you have negotiated with the EU, we need to have a short, focussed extension if (British political) parties agree and we can get it through Parliament. If not, then we need a longer extension. I don’t think it will be possible to get it through Parliament by October 31. I think that is being realistic.

“A lot of people don’t think the Government has done a great job at the moment and you have to level with people and make promises you can keep.”

Mr Harper is also not phased by the fact that he is a virtual unknown to the British public and is considered an underdog to win the race.

He added: “I think it’s an advantage. I am an underdog in this race because I have not been in the Government for the last three years. I was a minister in the last Government under David Cameron where I served a Chief Whip.

“The current Government has not done it right (Brexit) and the Prime Minister has taken responsibility for that but the Cabinet has been responsible as well.

“A number of them have tried to position themselves as fresh faces but I’m afraid they’ve sat around the Cabinet table sharing the responsibility with the Prime Minister.

“We have three things to do. Deliver Brexit, go into battle against Jeremy Corbyn and show the people we are the right choice (for Government).”

He has said no to a General Election to sort out the Brexit logjam, believing that nobody in his party wants it.

But he claims support from the party in his bid to succeed Mrs May and take the keys to 10 Downing Street. The contenders will be whittled down to two at the end of June before the Conservative members vote on their man or woman to win, with the result known sometime in July.

Mr Harper said: “I have a decent number of people on my campaign team. I would not be doing this unless I am serious about it. I am in this race to win it and I expect to get colleagues to support me.”