No throwing in the towel. We don't allow that here and you certainly are not the type. The solution cannot be that complicated just hidden at the moment. You verified the clutch switch but didn't mention if there is a gear position sensor involved as well. The old T5's had a neutral switch that prevented starting. Outside of that I would lean into something in the security system.
Did you try key and jumping the starter to see if it would try to run? I'm wondering if the issue exists only in the starting circuit and you could verify it this way.
Did you try key and jumping the starter to see if it would try to run? I'm wondering if the issue exists only in the starting circuit and you could verify it this way.