What British PM Theresa May Actually Thought About Brexit Before Choosing To Lead The UK Out Of EU
A leaked recording of British Prime Minister Theresa May’s remarks to Goldman Sachs has revealed that May had serious concerns about Britain’s future in the event of its exit from the European Union (EU).
Only a month before the referendum, May was warning her audience of investment bankers privately that companies would leave the United Kingdom (UK) if the country voted for Brexit.
This recording, which was leaked to Guardian, is significant in view of the fact that May made nuanced public speeches – much to the dismay of the remain camp – in the run up to the referendum and has, since becoming the prime minister, expressed her determination to make a success of Brexit.
During her address at the bank in London on 26 May, the then home secretary spoke of the economic benefits that the UK stood to gain by choosing to stay within the EU.
I think the economic arguments are clear. I think being part of a 500-million trading bloc is significant for us. I think, as I was saying to you a little earlier, that one of the issues is that a lot of people will invest here in the UK because it is the UK in Europe.
If we were not in Europe, I think there would be firms and companies who would be looking to say, do they need to develop a mainland Europe presence rather than a UK presence? So I think there are definite benefits for us in economic terms.
May had also said that Britain would benefit in terms of security by staying within the EU because of such tools as the European arrest warrant and the sharing of information between the police and intelligence agencies, as reported by Guardian.
Now that May is marching ahead with the referendum result and has signalled clearly that she would be pursuing a hard Brexit, it’s relevant to ask: Is May possibly ignoring her own warnings?