Insider reveals George Osborne accused David Cameron of starting ‘a fight in a room by himself’ in bitter row
Ex-Chancellor was “chomping at the bit” for the PM to start touring the nation in an attempt to win the EU referendum
GEORGE Osborne had a major fall out with David Cameron over the EU referendum – accusing him of starting “a fight in a room by yourself”.
The bitter dust up between the powerful close friend friends has been revealed by a key No10 aide.
In a long essay on the lead up to the disastrous result that ended Mr Cameron's rule, Daniel Korski also detailed how the former Chancellor was “chomping at the bit” for the slow-footed PM to start touring the nation.
In his insider’s account, former No10 adviser Mr Korski also revealed how EU chiefs scoffed at No10’s renegotiation plea that a staggering three million immigrants were likely to come to the UK over the next 10 years.
Mr Cameron also argued that 6% of Lithuania’s entire population were now living in Britain, and the tidal wave heaped pressure on schools and hospitals.
But Mr Korski revealed: “These arguments were quickly shot down.
“Our European counterparts pointed out that the number of immigrants moving to the UK was relatively limited, compared to, for example, Germany.”
RELATED STORIES
Mr Korski also heaped blame on two-faced European mandarins for derailing his boss’s failed renegotiation by repeatedly trying to tear their up their leaders' deals with him.
But he admitted that the former Premier’s “biggest mistake” was not “to deliver the kind of deal we had given the impression was possible”.
He said: “From the moment Cameron promised a referendum we should have built up the case for European cooperation, preparing the electoral battlefield we would eventually have to fight on.
“We didn’t”.
The UK’s top diplomat in Brussels Sir Ivan Rogers has “scorn for the right of the Tory Party”, Mr Korski also claimed.
But the Foreign Office mandarin’s hate for Eurosceptic Tory MPs is “only rivalled by his hatred of the European leaders and officials who, in his view, hadn’t grasped they were heading for a fall’.
Mr Cameron confessed to making a mistake by not allowing 16 and 17 year-olds vote, as they may have pushed him over the Remain line in the referendum.