Sir John Major has given an exclusive interview to The Independent editor-in-chief Geordie Greig. In a wide-ranging conversation marking the 10th anniversary of the Brexit referendum, he talked about the impact of Brexit and Britain’s future relationship with Europe; the UK’s past, present and future Prime Ministers and the state of politics today.
The former Conservative prime minister:
- Claimed Brexit had cost the UK £100bn per year in trade and £40bn per year in tax
- Called for the UK to rejoin the single market within the next five years and said young people would lead the drive to rejoin the EU
- Criticised Nigel Farage for a lack of transparency over his £5m donation and slammed Reform for their negative politics
- Praised Kemi Badenoch for her leadership of the Conservative Party and predicted she would grow into ‘an absolutely excellent leader’
- Expressed concern that prime minister-in-waiting Andy Burnham was not ready for politics on the world stage .
Sir John was speaking to The Independent as part of our Europe: The Way Back campaign - launched to explore ways to rebuild Britain's future relationship with Europe.
Watch the full 40-minute interview on this page and read the full news report here.
Join our Europe: The Way Back community by subscribing to unlock expert analysis and opinion, and sign up to receive our free weekly newsletter on Europe from our politics experts David Maddox and Millie Cooke.
