Theresa May criticised for secret talk of Brexit fears

UK Prime Minister Theresa May has come under intense criticism from politicians across the UK and Europe after it emerged that she had warned of the dangers of Brexit in a private talk at Goldman Sachs a month before the referendum vote.

May was accused by a string of MPs, headed by UK Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn, of ignoring her own concerns about the risks of leaving the single market, as revealed in her remarks to City bankers that were leaked to the Guardian on Tuesday night.

Politicians from both governing parties in Germany accused May of failing to show leadership, indicating that her remarks demonstrated that it would be impossible to leave the European Union without economic consequences.

Corbyn attacked May for failing to set out her plan for Brexit to the British people as clearly as she had once expressed her beliefs to her elite audience. “The Prime Minister has given her private views on Brexit to Goldman Sachs bankers, but refuses to give the British people a clear plan for negotiations,” he said.

According to the Guardian, in the hour-long session at Goldman, May said: “I think the economic arguments are clear. I think being part of a 500 million [population] 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.”

As Prime Minister, May has appeared to pursue a hard Brexit stance – prioritising cutting immigration over staying in the single market, while refusing to elaborate any further on her plans for taking the UK out of the EU.