Guy Hands has said that Rishi Sunak must admit that the Brexit campaign was full of lies, if the party wants his support again.
A billionaire former Tory donor has told Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to admit that the Brexit campaign was full of lies, if the party wants his support again.
Guy Hands, a long-time supporter of the party and founder and chairman of Terra Firma Capital Partners, told the ipaper that his support for the party would now depend on the government changing course and adopting a softer Brexit trade deal with the EU.
“I’m delighted to support the party that is putting Britain’s long-term future health above party politics,” he said. “A good deal with Europe will not solve all problems, but it would be a good start.”
Hands wants the Tories to negotiate a deal with the EU which is similar to the agreements that countries such as Switzerland and Norway have in place and which crucially would allow freedom of movement between the UK and EU citizens, a policy that would outrage Tory MPs as well as its membership.
Hands’ comments come at a time when polling shows that a majority of the public now believe that leaving the EU was a mistake. Earlier this month, Sir John Curtice, President of the British polling council revealed that 57% of the country now believes leaving the bloc was an error.
A paper from Kings College London has also revealed that Leavers are more likely to regret the Brexit vote’ than Remainers.
Hands said: “Having a vote on Brexit was meant to solve the issue of Europe in the Tory party for good.
“Unfortunately, [David] Cameron expected a different result, a result which the majority of the British population now regret.”
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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