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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| David Cameron: Brexit vote part of 'movement of unhappiness' | David Cameron: Brexit vote part of 'movement of unhappiness' |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| David Cameron has portrayed himself as a victim of populism but defended his decision to call a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU in his first major speech since leaving office. | David Cameron has portrayed himself as a victim of populism but defended his decision to call a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU in his first major speech since leaving office. |
| Cameron launched what is likely to be lucrative lecture tour of the US by acknowledging that the decision to leave the EU was part of a “movement of unhappiness” about the state of the world. | Cameron launched what is likely to be lucrative lecture tour of the US by acknowledging that the decision to leave the EU was part of a “movement of unhappiness” about the state of the world. |
| Speaking to students at DePauw University in Indiana, he said he was hopeful about “how we can combat populism”, adding that the Brexit vote and the election of Donald Trump in the US must result in a “course correction” for western politics. | Speaking to students at DePauw University in Indiana, he said he was hopeful about “how we can combat populism”, adding that the Brexit vote and the election of Donald Trump in the US must result in a “course correction” for western politics. |
| Cameron said: “It may seem odd that I’m so optimistic. After all, the rise of populism cost me my job.” | Cameron said: “It may seem odd that I’m so optimistic. After all, the rise of populism cost me my job.” |
| He said it was right to hold the referendum as the issue of Europe was “beginning to poison British politics”. He added: “It was certainly poisoning politics in my own party.” | He said it was right to hold the referendum as the issue of Europe was “beginning to poison British politics”. He added: “It was certainly poisoning politics in my own party.” |
| But he jokingly suggested he personally regretted the decision. “People often ask me, ‘How are you sleeping?’ and I say ‘I sleep like a baby – I wake up every hour calling for my mother,’” he said. | |
| Last month, it emerged that Cameron’s former right-hand man, George Osborne, earned more than £300,000 in one month from speeches in the US. | |
| Cameron joked about joining the speakers’ circuit. “I’m also available for weddings and bar mitzvahs,” Indiana’s Times and Sentinel quoted him saying. | |
| Answering questions after a speech on the events of 2016, Cameron said: “So far, these three events – the Brexit referendum, the election of President Trump and the referendum in Italy – I’m sure people are going to write about this movement of unhappiness and concern about the state of the world. | |
| “I think you could see that in the British vote ... was a mixture of economics and cultural arguments; I think your situation [in the US] was quite similar; I think in Italy it’s more connected with the euro. | “I think you could see that in the British vote ... was a mixture of economics and cultural arguments; I think your situation [in the US] was quite similar; I think in Italy it’s more connected with the euro. |
| “Ultimately, how 2016 goes down in history will depend on what political leaders do next. That’s why I have tried to make a very clear argument, which is that if they put their heads in the sand and say, ‘Well this will pass and we’ll just carry on the way we are,’ then 2016 will be seen as a real watershed. | “Ultimately, how 2016 goes down in history will depend on what political leaders do next. That’s why I have tried to make a very clear argument, which is that if they put their heads in the sand and say, ‘Well this will pass and we’ll just carry on the way we are,’ then 2016 will be seen as a real watershed. |
| “But if, as I believe will happen, our democracies are flexible enough and our leaders are aware enough, they will correct – course-correct, as I put it – the problems that they face. So you will see a greater emphasis on trying to help those who are left behind.” | |
| He highlighted policies including a higher minimum wage and tax cuts for low-income workers as measures aimed at helping address such concerns. | He highlighted policies including a higher minimum wage and tax cuts for low-income workers as measures aimed at helping address such concerns. |
| “I think if that response is right, 2016 will be seen as a moment of course correction, rather than a moment of fundamental change. But if leaders don’t take that approach, perhaps particularly in Europe, then it could go down as something quite different.” | “I think if that response is right, 2016 will be seen as a moment of course correction, rather than a moment of fundamental change. But if leaders don’t take that approach, perhaps particularly in Europe, then it could go down as something quite different.” |
| “I see more trouble ahead,” Cameron said. “It is not working as it was intended. Some countries have seen decades of lost growth. Those countries have a single currency, but they don’t have a single fiscal system, a fiscal tax system. It creates bigger differences. | “I see more trouble ahead,” Cameron said. “It is not working as it was intended. Some countries have seen decades of lost growth. Those countries have a single currency, but they don’t have a single fiscal system, a fiscal tax system. It creates bigger differences. |
| “You in the United States have ways to make sure that if you have a bad year, you pay less in taxes and offset federal programmes. There are no such arrangements in Europe.” | “You in the United States have ways to make sure that if you have a bad year, you pay less in taxes and offset federal programmes. There are no such arrangements in Europe.” |
| The latest update to Osborne’s entry in the MPs’ register of financial interests (pdf) shows he expects to be paid £85,396.24 by Citi for two speeches, £34,109.14 by BlackRock and £68,125.35 by Centerbridge Partners. | |
| In November, he registered income of more than £320,000 from speaking engagements, making him one of the highest earning MPs this year. | |
| It is not known how much Cameron was paid for the DePauw speech. He does not have to declare earnings made after holding office because he stepped down as MP for Witney in September. | It is not known how much Cameron was paid for the DePauw speech. He does not have to declare earnings made after holding office because he stepped down as MP for Witney in September. |