Lord Michael Heseltine must never be forgotten for the year he betrayed Margaret Thatcher in 1990. He stood against her and escalated the civil war in the Conservative Party over European integration, even though his pro-EU stance was becoming increasingly at odds with the rest of the party's. And it still is now. Since the Tories lost power in 1997, his predictions that Britain will integrate further into the EU have all proven to be wrong.
For a start, he estimated that the UK will one day join the Euro. Yet Brexit now makes that impossible. It's best not to listen to Lord Heseltine on anything regarding the EU.
He was wrong when he said that, and he is wrong now on Brexit.
'Praised Mrs Thatcher, despite helping to destroy her premiership.'
Speaking to the New Statesman in 2015 on the issue, his loyalty to the European project was quite apparent. He praised Mrs Thatcher, despite helping to destroy her premiership, for creating the Single Market. Yet what he forgets is that she did not create it as a backdoor for EU integration. Mrs Thatcher was first and foremost a free marketeer, or a neo-liberal, and she supported British trade across the globe, not just with a single continent. This is where the then EEC stitched her up and caused the split in the Conservative Party on Europe that lasted throughout the rest of the twentieth century.
He said the next inevitable step for Britain was to join the Euro to complete her vision for Europe. But that has failed to materialise.
So when Lord Heseltine speaks about Brexit, take his warnings with a pinch of salt.
