Yahoo Finance Vote Leave campaign chief says EU referendum was a 'dumb idea'
One of the chief architects of the Vote Leave campaign has admitted the decision to hold a referendum was a “dumb idea”.
Dominic Cummings – who came up with the £350m for the NHS slogan on the Brexit bus – also conceded that quitting the EU may be “an error”.
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He said other things should have been tried first before going to the country – suggesting more could have been done to force through reforms in Brussels.
Lots! I said before REF was dumb idea, other things shdve been tried 1st. In some possible branches of the future leaving will be an error
— odysseanproject (@odysseanproject) July 3, 2017
In a late night Twitter exchange, Cummings also described the government’s plan for negotiations as a farce and chaotic.
My view was/is that there are more possible branches of future in which leaving is good for EUR as well as for UK…
— odysseanproject (@odysseanproject) July 3, 2017
Leaving increases EUR’s overall ability to adapt more effectively to an uncertain world & increases probability of good branches happening
— odysseanproject (@odysseanproject) July 3, 2017
His comments were jumped upon by outgoing Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron, who said the cat was out of the bag.
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“These Brexiteers have sold us a pup and lied to the public,” said Farron. “This is why I believe the public should be given a say on the final Brexit deal.”
Cummings is a former adviser to Michael Gove in the education department. He also masterminded the slogan on the side of a Leave campaign bus that stated £350m sent to the EU every week would be available for the NHS.
He was also responsible for the posters warning of 76 million Turks getting ready to join the EU, which added to the alarm over unchecked migration.
Last month, Mr Cummings tweeted that MPs who backed Leave must force change on Downing Street and Brexit department, led by David Davis.
“If Leave MPs don’t assert themselves to force MANAGEMENT changes on No10/DEXU, Brexit talks = guaranteed debacle as I’ve said for a year,” he wrote.
