Strength of Tories is down to me, says Cameron
Mwah! Theresa’s Downing St kiss for Juncker
David Cameron has claimed credit for making the Conservatives the strongest party in western Europe.
Despite being forced to resign after losing last year’s Brexit referendum, he boasted that his decision to call the vote had helped drain the ‘poison’ from British politics.
He said that while he regretted the ‘personal consequences’ of June 23, the vote helped defeat populism, which led to a resurgence of the Tories under Theresa May.
‘I loved being prime minister,’ Mr Cameron told a tourism conference in Bangkok. ‘I thought I was doing a reasonable job. But I think it was the right thing. The lack of a referendum was poisoning British politics and so I put that right.’
He added that the Tories were ‘probably the most healthy mainstream political party anywhere in western Europe’.
The former prime minister sparked outrage by saying Britain must agree a ‘divorce bill’ with the EU before trade talks begin.
EU negotiators are demanding £50billion and insist those negotiations must be concluded before talks on trade begin.
Mrs May has said the two issues should be discussed in parallel, but Mr Cameron appeared to side with Brussels, saying it was right to conclude discussions on money first. His remarks drew scorn from Eurosceptic MPs who pointed to his failed negotiation with the EU in the run-up to the referendum.
Senior backbench Tory Jacob Rees-Mogg said: ‘It’s no wonder David Cameron’s renegotiation was so hopeless and he came back with such thin gruel if his whole attitude is of giving in before you stand. There is also a convention that politicians do not go abroad and talk the country down. I’m sorry to see he’s doing that.’
Last year, Mr Cameron failed to return home with anything like the concessions he had wanted on benefits for migrants. It led to many Tory MPs refusing to back his Remain campaign.
Mr Cameron’s latest remarks came ahead of the first meeting between Mrs May and senior EU officials. The PM hosted Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker at Downing Street last night for a ‘working dinner’.
It was expected to focus on the process of Brexit talks. Mr Barnier has insisted the UK must ‘settle the accounts’ before talks on a future trading relationship.
Answering questions at the conference, Mr Cameron seemed to back the EU stance, saying: ‘I would hope we will be able to agree the first bits of divorce … you have to deal with the money and then access to the children afterwards.’
He said he thought both sides could agree that ‘we accept some liabilities for this membership we’ve had for 40 years, just as we have a claim on some of the assets that we’ve paid into.’
But senior Government figures have insisted Britain will not pay a bill of the scale suggested by Mr Juncker.
International Trade Secretary Liam Fox branded the idea ‘absurd’.
Mrs May has said she is ready to discuss a ‘fair settlement’ of Britain’s obligations, which include pension liabilities for officials and funds for projects already commissioned.
A report yesterday suggested Whitehall officials have drawn up plans for the UK to pay into the EU budget until 2020, when its seven-year framework ends. Brexit Secretary David Davis said yesterday that ‘cool heads, strong leadership and traditional British resolve’ would be needed to secure a good deal with the EU.
He told the Prosperity UK conference in London that Britain would have to make compromises, but insisted the country had ‘very good reason to feel optimistic’.
On Saturday at a European Council summit, the leaders of the other 27 EU countries will discuss their draft guidelines for negotiations.