John Major’s Assessments of Brexit: Prospects for the UK

Abstract

The article introduces an alternative opinion on Brexit voiced by John Major, who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom when it joined the European Union. In his public speeches, John Major touched upon such issues as national sovereignty, British identity, migration, economy, political and diplomatic influence, state unity, etc. John Major believes that Brexit will eventually do more harm than good and that the pro-Brexit rhetoric is a manifestation of populism. He does not consider the European Union as a threat to the British identity. The research was based on I. S. Semenenko’s idea of the panEuropean identity as a resource for the development of the European Union. Even though Brexit and Covid-19 weakened the European identity, the further development of identity policy is likely to strengthen the sense of belonging. Thus, John Major’s reasonable rhetoric can be considered from the opposite standpoint.