A SECOND referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union is "a genuine possibility", Wales' new first minister has said.

But Mark Drakeford said he would only support the so-called 'People's Vote' if a deal with Europe was not approved by Parliament and Theresa May then refused to call a General Election.

Mr Drakeford was speaking after an open letter was published in which a group of politicians and campaign groups appealed to him to back a second referendum.

The letter was penned by the Wales for Europe campaign group and signed by, among others, AMs for Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen Alun Davies and Lynne Neagle, as well as South Wales East's Steffan Lewis, and leaders of Newport and Torfaen councils Cllr Debbie Wilcox and Cllr Anthony Hunt.

It said: "We now urge you to use your new office to its utmost to demand - of both the UK Government and the UK leadership of your own party - a new People’s Vote in which continued membership of the European Union would be an option on the ballot. This new public vote is necessary regardless of whether or not a General Election is called."

But Mr Drakeford has said he remained of the belief a second vote would only be appropriate if, first, a deal with the European Union is not approved by Parliament, and, second, the prime minister then refused to call a General Election. In this situation, he said, there would be "no alternative but to go back to the people".

He added, if a second referendum was called, he anticipated the Welsh Government's formal position would be to back remaining in the EU, as it was ahead of the 2016 vote.

"Our advice in the first referendum was that Wales' future was best secured through continued membership of the EU," he said.

"I don't think we would have changed our mind about that advice. So, if we were in the position of saying to people in Wales what we as a government thought the right answer would be, if staying in the EU was on the ballot paper in a referendum, I would anticipate, and anticipate pretty strongly, that our advice would not have changed."

Although he said the Welsh Government had begun to ramp up preparations for a no-deal, Mr Drakeford added believed a deal which would be supported by Parliament could be reached before the UK leaves Europe at the end of March, and called on the UK Government to do all it can to avoid leaving without a deal.

“Such an outcome would be hugely damaging," he said.

"Claims of a ‘managed no-deal’ need to be dismissed for the nonsense they are. Leaving without a deal would be hugely damaging and must be avoided."

He added: "We cannot agree with an outcome which results in tariffs or other barriers which will make it harder for Welsh business to export, stoke inflation by increasing the costs of imports and, most seriously of all, disrupt the integrated pan-European supply chains that so many of our major employers rely on to thrive, and in some cases, survive.

“Under a no-deal Brexit the viability of the NHS and other public services will be severely compromised and our key economic sectors – agriculture and food production, hospitality, as well as highly skilled sectors and universities – are equally imperilled by a self-defeating migration policy."

Mr Drakeford continued: “However, make no mistake, it would be impossible to fully alleviate the effects of no-deal. It is simply not a viable option and must be avoided.

“Since the referendum we have found the UK Government too opaque, too slow, and too secretive. Now is the time for full transparency and co-operation and the Welsh Government as a willing partner.”