John Major outraged that the man who spearheaded Brexit seeks more political power

The pro-European newspaper The Independent has launched ‘Europe: The Way Back,’ a new series examining how Britain might rebuild its relationship with Europe.

Among those interviewed for the series is former Tory prime minister Sir John Major, who delivers one of his most uncompromising assessments yet of Brexit, and of the politicians who campaigned to make it happen.

Major argues Britain should seek to rejoin the European Union’s single market within the next five years, saying politicians must now be honest about both the benefits and the compromises involved.

‘The aim within the next five years must be to rejoin the single market,’ he said. ‘But that will have a price. We are going to have to be absolutely honest with the British people.”

His criticism of Brexit’s architects is withering.

Reflecting on Michael Gove’s famous claim that Britain would “hold all the cards” after leaving the EU, Major responded: “Well, the only card they held were P45s for people who lost their jobs.”

He dismissed the motto “Take Back Control” as “an empty slogan,” arguing Leave campaigners had promised “a land of milk and honey” but instead left millions of people worse off.

Citing analysis from the Bank of England that Britain’s economy is estimated to be between six and eight percent smaller because of Brexit, Major argued every household has paid the price.

“Even if you take the lower figure we have lost about £100bn worth of trade each year,” he said. “That £100bn would have yielded about £40bn worth of tax to the exchequer. If we’d had that £40bn annually over the last few years many of the difficult and unpopular decisions that have been taken would not have been necessary.”

“We know who the losers are. It is every wallet, every purse and every balance sheet in the country.”

Major also argued that many Brexit supporters privately recognise the project has failed.

“If you’re seeking to make Brexit succeed after ten years, you’re tacitly admitting it has failed thus far.”

But perhaps the most notable moment of the interview came when Major turned his attention to Nigel Farage.

The former prime minister said he remains angry that, after successfully leading the campaign that “significantly damaged our country,” Farage is now seeking even greater political power.

Major said he was still outraged by what he described as the way the referendum campaign had been “perverted” by promises that Brexit would make Britain wealthier, stronger and more sovereign.

“It implied a land of milk and honey,” he said. “We were going to be stronger and more sovereign. None of those things have actually come about.”

He also criticised Reform UK, describing the party’s politics as driven by “crude hostility” rather than optimism.

“What is their unique selling brand?” he asked. “They don’t offer inspiration or hope. The button they push is migration.”

Major also renewed his call for Nigel Farage to provide greater transparency over the £5 million donation he received from British-born cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne.

Warning that Reform UK risked becoming “the fully fledged subsidiary of overseas billionaire money,” he questioned why Farage had given differing explanations about the purpose of the donation.

“It’s for my security,” Farage had said on one occasion. On another, Major noted, he said it was to help “get Brexit through”, before later suggesting it was his to spend “exactly as I like on cars”.

“He is a public figure aiming for the highest position in our land,” Major said. “We need to know what obligations he may have and to whom.”

To underline the scale of the donation, Major contrasted it with the earnings of ordinary workers.

“Many people have a salary after tax and National insurance contributions of no more than £20,000. That in a working life of 50 years is £1 million. Nigel Farage has just been gifted a sum that is equivalent to the total amount earned in five working lives for these people, and he seems to think it is entirely a personal matter, and that it is an insult for everybody else to look at that.”

Readers were impressed by Major’s comments.

Posting the article on social media, pro-EU campaigners Bremain in Spain, said:

“The sooner we get the ball rolling, the better.”