David Cameron defends decision to call the EU referendum he lost – and admits he never liked the European parliament anyway
DAVID CAMERON has defended his decision to call the EU referendum he lost – and claimed he never liked the European Parliament anyway.
Speaking after Theresa May formally started our Brexit process yesterday by triggering Article 50, he insisted “this issue had been poisoning British politics for years.”
The former PM, who was in Ukraine after a speaking engagement, said he had to fulfil the pledge to the people.
“The referendum had been promised and not held,” he said of the vote which saw 17 million Brits back our EU exit.
He added: “I made a promise to hold the referendum. I think it was the right thing to do.”
However, in a change of heart for the Remain-backing politician, Mr Cameron said he had always been a bit of a Euroscpetic.
He insisted he “didn’t like the European flag and the European Parliament.”
The former PM added: “Britain was always uncertain, in fact opposed to the idea of the deeper and more integrated political union…
“Britain was always [a] rather reluctant and uncertain member of the EU. We were in the EU for reasons of utility rather than emotion.”
Yesterday Mrs May formally informed EU Council President Donald Tusk of our intention to leave the bloc, kick-starting two years of talks with other leaders.
But some thought that she was making a thinly-veiled threat in her letter where she said that “a failure to reach agreement would mean our cooperation in the fight against crime and terrorism would be weakened.”
Ministers today insisted that the PM’s message was “positive” and security was just one part of the deal that needed to be secured.
Work and Pensions Secretary Damian Green added: “It’s not a threat, I think that’s the misunderstanding. It’s absolutely not a threat.”
Mr Cameron said cooperation on security issues would remain vital after Brexit.
He said: “We will take part in security cooperation… to recognise that while we are leaving the European Union, we are not leaving Europe.”
The fallen premier has been doing the rounds as an after-dinner speaker since he resigned from office and stepped down as an MP last year.
He is thought to have met the Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman and President Poroshenko on his visit.
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