Leave campaigners portraying a fantasy image of UK, says Major
SIR John Major has launched a blistering attack on the Leave campaign for portraying a “fantasy” image of Britain while ignoring the risks of crippling the EU.
The former prime minister attacked Brexit campaigners’ pursuit of independence as “sheer folly” and “verging on the reckless”. Being part of the European Union not only benefits the UK in terms of prosperity and security but is also essential for maintaining stability within the Union and its relevance on the world stage, he said.
Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, he said: “I cannot believe that any sensible Briton wishes to divide Europe, and thus divide the West.” The Tory grandee branded attempts to tear up Britain’s existing bespoke deal as “perverse”.
Sir John accused some in the Leave camp of ignoring and even obscuring “facts” that did not sit well with their objective, including statements from European leaders that there will be no trade deals without free movement and an invoice for access to the single market. His intervention comes after Iain Duncan Smith, one of the leading figures in Vote Leave, accused the Government of issuing a “dodgy dossier” to support its campaign to remain in the EU. The reality may be that Britain finds itself on the fringe of a Europe that is either consolidated against it or fractured beyond repair, he warned.
Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Michael Gove has gone to the help of embattled Chancellor George Osborne following the resignation of fellow pro-Brexit supporter Mr Duncan Smith over benefits cuts.
Mr Gove put aside his differences with Mr Osborne over Europe to pen a piece in the same newspaper. It came as the Chancellor faced a backlash from Tory MPs over his handling of the benefits cuts.
Mr Gove wrote: “I am convinced that this country has been changed – significantly – for the better in the last six years because the Conservative Party’s been in office.”