Former Prime Minister John Major has hit out over “unreal” expectations of Brexit
Former Prime Minister John Major has blasted “unreal” predictions of the UK's future outside of the European Union.
Speaking in central London, Major also accused Brexiteers of “demeaning” their former political rivals in the Remain camp by “shouting down legitimate comment”.
Major campaigned for a Remain vote in the referendum, and made a series of stinging interventions last Summer, notably labelling the official leave campaign as “squalid” and accused it of “misleading people to an extraordinary extent” just six weeks before the vote.
Read More: Major attacks some fellow Tories for "morphing into Ukip" in EU debate
And this evening he doubled down on those attacks stating that the British public have been promised a future that is “unreal and over-optimistic”.
“Obstacles are brushed aside as of no consequence, whilst opportunities are inflated beyond any reasonable expectation of delivery,” Major said, later adding that he sees little chance the UK “will be able to match the advantages of the Single Market.”
“In my own experience, the most successful results are obtained when talks are conducted with goodwill: it is much easier to reach agreement with a friend than a quarrelsome neighbour,” Major said.
“Behind the diplomatic civilities, the atmosphere is already sour. A little more charm, and a lot less cheap rhetoric, would do much to protect the UK’s interests.”
Read More: The EU referendum had the biggest voter turnout since 1992
Major's comments come as the Tories' former leader in the European parliament has branded European Commission officials as "fundamentalists" and "ayatollahs" in their opposition to Brexit.
Lord Callanan also warned peers against attempts to fight the Article 50 Bill in the House of Lords.
Responding to Major's comments, Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg branded the former Prime Minister as defeatist.
"This is precisely the wrong way to go into a negotiation. You go into a negotiation saying that you are in a strong position and going to win. This is like the English test cricket team saying that they are going to be defeated by the Australians by an innings at the start of the match."