Welby: Brexit will let Britain reinvent itself

BREXIT is a moment of “reimagination” for Britain that can allow us to “move forward as a society”, the Archbishop of Canterbury has said.

After previously warning about the consequences of Brexit, the Most Rev Justin Welby praised the decision to leave the EU and said he was “optimistic” about the country’s future outside the bloc.

The Archbishop also said that rich people should pay more tax because trickle-down economics does not work.

Before last June’s EU referendum, Archbishop Welby said that he would be voting Remain and suggested that a Leave vote was a “barrier” to peace and reconciliation.

However, in an interview with the World At One on Radio 4 alongside Mark Carney, the Governor of the Bank of England, the Archbishop said: “I’m not in the slightest bit pessimistic – quite the reverse, I think there are now huge opportunities.

“I see this is a moment of reimagination of what this country is about. It is a moment of choice for our future.

“We’ve got to move forward as a society that has reimagined what it is about, that is outward looking, that takes its place confidently in the world, not merely for self-protection but as a force for good in the world.”

The Archbishop also said that he favoured an economic system that spreads “wealth more evenly across society”.

Asked if that meant higher taxes for the wealthy, he replied: “Inevitably, it will mean some people will have to pay more.”

The Archbishop said he felt the evidence of “trickle-down as an effective form of redistribution” does not work.