William HAGUE

A positive attitude from those who voted to stay in the EU will be critical to Britain’s prospects, writes

Are we going to be reluctant, grudging, embittered and muttering ‘I told you so’ for the next 20 years? Are we going to spend a large part of the 21st century in a giant sulk?

On our first day outside the European Union, we know something very important. Democracy in the United Kingdom is resilient, alive and well. After widespread disillusionment with the whole democratic process through an uncertain three years, the events that finally confirmed January 31 as Brexit day showed the strength of our political culture. The electorate settled this argument, and much else besides, with a decisive outcome.

The finality and legitimacy of that outcome is important, for it means Brexit is not the product of a ruse, a procedural trick in Parliament, or a clever manoeuvre. Rightly or wrongly, the British electorate voted to leave the EU, and have reaffirmed that they meant it. Many of us who voted Remain in 2016 always argued, once the referendum outcome was clear, that Brexit had to happen. Many others fought on, in pressure groups and opposition parties. Today is the moment they need to move on from such resistance. The thought of remaining is officially over.

Furthermore, Brexit is not an event that can be reversed in the foreseeable future, even if the British people suddenly changed their minds. At 11pm yesterday, the door closed behind British EU membership and it can never be reopened in the same form. Even if we wanted to step back through it, the terms would be quite different and less advantageous. Whatever the dangers or difficulties in our new world, there is no way back.

So while the 48 per cent who voted Remain should not feel they have to cheer this event, we all have an important choice to make about our attitude.

Are we going to be reluctant, grudging, embittered, and muttering “I told you so” for the next 20 years? Are we going to spend a large part of the 21st century in a giant sulk? Are some political leaders going to pretend that rejoining the EU is a possibility, clinging to past ideas as a substitute for thinking of new ones?

It is obvious there will be many huge challenges as a result of Brexit. New trade deals will be very tough to negotiate. Scottish Nationalists will exploit every problem to try to destroy the UK. Northern Ireland is beset with difficult issues.

But the right attitude now – across politics, industry, finance, academia and the whole of British public life – is to contribute our ingenuity and resourcefulness to overcoming these problems.

Just as we should always shake ourselves out of the tendency to believe we are only a shadow of the great imperial power of the past, so we will now have to guard against the tendency to think we can never be as successful outside the EU. There will be no point wallowing in regrets for what might have been. Now everyone has to work out how to make the best of our great assets.

If we were starting out as a new country and were awarded the sixth largest economy of the world, many of the very top universities, the biggest financial centre, a seat on the UN Security Council, one of the biggest diplomatic networks, highly respected armed forces, a globally dominant language and millions of enterprising individuals, we would not be walking around feeling depressed. This is the moment to make the most of all those advantages, and the key test of Boris Johnson’s ministers will be whether they can do that.

It is true that over the past three years, people around the world have looked at us with pity, bemusement or even incredulity. Yet there is an opportunity to change that and show it would be a mistake to bet against Britain picking itself up and being a success. The attitude of those who preferred to Remain will be a crucial part of demonstrating that.

Many countries in the world don’t get the chance to decide on their future. Either their political leaders or their geographic situation do not allow for a choice. In Britain we are lucky that we get to choose, and we are fortunate to be who we are, where we are, and with the opportunities that we have in front of us.

It’s time for the Remainers and the Leavers of recent years to join in making the most of that.

In Britain we are lucky that we do get to choose, and fortunate to be who we are, where we are, with the opportunities that we have in front of us. It’s time … to join in making the most of that