Liz Truss says she would now back Brexit
2 min read
Liz Truss has said she would back Brexit if the EU referendum was held again.
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury, who backed Remain in 2016, admitted she had “changed her mind” on Brexit.
Ms Truss said she had believed there would be “massive economic problems” if Britain voted to leave the EU, but these had “not come to pass”.
The question of how politicians would vote if the EU referendum was held now has been posed to various Cabinet figures over recent weeks.
Yesterday, Theresa May refused to answer, while Damian Green stuck to his guns and said it “would have been better” if the country had voted Remain.
And at Tory conference Jeremy Hunt said he would switch to the Leave camp were the vote to be held again.
Ms Truss told the BBC's Daily Politics: “The reason I’ve said [I would now back Brexit] is because I voted to Remain because I was concerned about the economy but what we’ve seen since the Brexit vote is our economy has done well.
“We’ve attracted new overseas investment, we haven’t seen the dire predictions come to pass. We have seen new opportunities to trade with the rest of the world, I think that’s exciting.
“I believed there would be massive economic problems but those haven’t come to pass and I’ve also seen the opportunities. The other thing is it was a big moment on June 23rd when British people voted to leave and it was an expression about what kind of country we wanted to be and I think that has changed the debate in this country as well.”
When asked if she should “have a word” with Philip Hammond as he appears concerned about the economy, she replied: “There is uncertainty and that is why we’re seeking to get a good deal as soon as possible. What we’re going to do is get a good deal, not have a second referendum and get on with the job.
But she added: “[Philip Hammond] is a very happy man. He’s very cheerful when he’s in the treasury, I can tell you.... He is cheerful. He’s written a very positive article today about our preparations for Brexit.”
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