The former US vice president, Mike Pence, has told Sky News that America needs new leadership – but believes Donald Trump should not return to the White House.

Taking aim at his former boss – under whom he served until they fell out as the January 6 riots at the US Capitol broke out in 2001 – said he is working on offering voters a “better choice”.

“I think we need new leadership, but I’m going to look for ways that I can do my part to see that the Republican Party gives the American people a better choice,” he told Wilfred Frost on Sky News.

“A fresh choice and a new beginning. I’ll keep you posted on my position in the days ahead.”

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People from every walk of life thank me for stand we took’, says Pence

Mr Trump is favourite to be Joe Biden’s opponent again in this November’s election, and the president warned earlier this week his potential opponent is “willing to sacrifice our democracy”.

It came as the US Supreme Court agreed to hear Mr Trump’s appeal over Colorado’s decision to disqualify him from its presidential primary elections.

Asked if democracy is at risk, Mr Pence told Sky News he has “great confidence” that US voters will “come together”.

“It’s my hope – and frankly, it’s my prayer – that we as Republicans will give the American people better choices to offer a new leadership,” said Mr Pence, who suspended his own campaign in October last year.

“As I said many times back when I was a candidate for president, I think different times call for different leadership.

“And while I know many of the pundits have already decided how things are going to work out, the American people have a funny way of making up their own mind.”

The state of Maine has also disqualified Mr Trump from the ballot, excluding him over language in the US Constitution barring people who “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” from public office.

Asked if he believes the Republicans will respect the decision even if it goes against them, Mr Pence said he is “confident that we’ll be able to see broad-based support for whatever decision”.

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“At the end of the day, I also have great confidence the Supreme Court will see their way clear on this matter and ultimately leave this question to the American people, where it belongs,” he added.

Mr Trump turned on Mr Pence for not trying to overturn the results after his election loss in 2020, with rioters shouting “hang Mike Pence” during the attack on the US Capitol on January 6.

But Mr Pence told Sky News he has “lost count of the number of people who took a moment to thank me – from literally every walk of life, from every political background – for the stand that we took”.

He said Americans “cherish our constitution, and they cherish the liberties enshrined there”.

If Mr Trump does ultimately become the Republican nominee, Mr Pence said he “simply can’t support Joe Biden’s re-election” as an alternative.

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