Former Prime Minister David Cameron has said that a second Brexit referendum cannot be ruled out, and opposed Boris Johnson’s decision to suspend Parliament.
During an interview with The Times published on Friday, Mr Cameron was asked whether he thought there would be a second referendum, and responded: “I don’t think you can rule it out because we’re stuck.”
“I’m not saying one will happen or should happen. I’m just saying that you can’t rule things out right now because you’ve got to find some way of unblocking the blockage,” he said, adding his voice to that of Remainer and outgoing Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow, who said in July that forcing Britons to return to polls to vote again on membership of the EU “is possible”.
Fearing the loss of votes to the then-Nigel Farage-led UK Iindependence Party (UKIP), Cameron pledged in his 2015 election manifesto an in/out referendum on membership of the EU.
Returned to power with a surprise majority after making that pledge, he delivered on his promise, holding one on June 23rd, 2016. However, the then-prime minister backed Remain, throwing the weight of the government and signifcant amounts of taxpayer money behind campaigning to stay in the European Union, and even asked then-president Barack Obama to tell Britons that if they voted to leave the EU they would be put to the “back of the queue” for a U.S. trade deal, in hopes of whipping up anti-Leave fears in the electorate.
Brexiteers were quick to criticise Cameron for suggesting a second referendum when he had said before the historic vote that whatever the outcome, “it will be the final decision”.
“So to those who suggest that a decision in the referendum to leave would merely produce another stronger renegotiation and then a second referendum in which Britain could stay, I say think again,” the Tory politician had said in 2016, adding that those thinking about voting Leave should “think carefully” because “this choice cannot be undone”.
The Remainer also criticised Johnson’s decision to prorogue parliament, a procedural act before a new session of Parliament, claiming it was a “bad thing” and adding, “Neither do I think a no-deal Brexit is a good idea.”
Mr Cameron then lamented that it is “painful to watch” the Brexit process unfold, saying that he thinks about his decision to hold the referendum “every day”.
“Every single day I think about it, the referendum and the fact that we lost and the consequences and the things that could have been done differently, and I worry desperately about what is going to happen next.
“I think we can get to a situation where we leave but we are friends, neighbours and partners. We can get there, but I would love to fast-forward to that moment because it’s painful for the country and it’s painful to watch,” said the former prime minister, who resigned promptly the day after the public voted to Leave the EU — despite having promised he would not.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.