Osborne hints he warned Prime Minister not to hold referendum

GEORGE OSBORNE has hinted that he opposed David Cameron’s decision to hold a referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union.

The Chancellor, who yesterday conceded that the outcome of the vote has eliminated his chances of becoming prime minister, is widely thought to have warned against holding a vote.

Asked about the claim Mr Osborne said there had been “a big and lively debate”, adding that he ultimately supported the position to hold a vote.

He said one of his Remain-supporting colleagues could replace Mr Cameron as leader of the party but admitted that the strong messages he projected during the campaign meant he could not unite the Conservatives.

Mr Osborne said: “I was full-throt- tled in arguing for remaining in the EU and because half my party wanted to leave the EU I don’t think I can be the person to bring this party together, at the moment.”

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “There were pluses and minuses to having a referendum but I agreed with the collective decision which I was happy then to support and to articulate and to stand in the general election on, to have a referendum, and I’m not for one second resiling from that decision.

“I do not for one second believe we can resile from saying we’ve got to now take the instruction to deliver from the British people very seriously.”

Mr Osborne, who campaigned for the UK to remain inside the 28 member-state bloc, is thought to have warned against holding such a vote when he and Mr Cameron discussed it before last year’s general election. However he yesterday refused to be drawn on reports, adding: “I’m not going into the private discussions I had with my friends and colleagues in government, but I absolutely stand by the decision to have a referendum.”

The Chancellor, who warned during the referendum campaign that an emergency Brexit Budget would be needed to cope with the aftermath of the vote, reiterated his claim that difficult decisions will be needed.

He said it was “very clear that the country is going to be poorer” and he stood by his warning that there would need to be a harsh emergency budget.

He added: “We are going to have to show the country and the world that the country can live within its means.”

Asked if that meant tax rises and spending cuts, the Chancellor replied: “Yes, absolutely.”