Britain is leaving the EU so stop harking on about an illusion, Hammond tells Remainers
and POLITICAL leaders and campaigners calling for Britain to reverse the EU referendum result should “stop harking on” about what amounts to an “illusion”, Philip Hammond has said.
The Chancellor accused European leaders of making “only backwardlooking” statements such as, “are you sure you want to leave?”
He described EU fears that a generous deal for the UK could encourage other countries to leave the trading bloc, as paranoid, saying Brussels should do more to keep existing members rather than “threatening members who decide to leave”. His comments, during a visit to Berlin, follow persistent calls by some political figures for the UK to hold a second referendum on leaving the EU.
In an interview with the Welt am Sonntag newspaper, Mr Hammond was critical of European leaders remaining focused on whether Britain could yet stay in the EU. Instead they should look to the future, he said.
“We hear a willingness and enthusiasm in the USA and from many other countries around the world to make new trade deals with us. But we don’t hear that from Europe,” he said.
“We hear from Europe only backward-looking stuff. ‘Are you sure you want to leave?’ Or ‘It’s a bad decision to leave.’ Or ‘You must be punished for deciding to leave.’ Well, we are leaving and we want to retain the closest possible partnership with the European Union. But we can only have that if the European Union also wants it.”
Asked how he would respond to people who “do not want to abandon hope” of the UK remaining in the EU, he said: “I would advise those people who value a close relationship between the UK and Europe to stop harking on about this illusion.
“Those of us who campaigned against Brexit before the referendum have moved on. We are now entirely focused on trying to get the best future partnership with the EU. That’s where the future lies.”
‘We hear a willingness from around the world to make new trade deals. But we don’t hear that from Europe’