William Hague Quotes

If there is a 'Leave' vote in England and across the U.K. as a whole, then we see the reins of power being seized by politicians who are on the right of the Conservative party.

Brexit is a self-inflicted wound; the people of this country hold the knife, and they don't have to use it if they don't want to. The people, not the hardline Brexiteers, are in charge.

My preoccupation has been from the very beginning that I believe that the "Brexit" referendum result is the most disastrous peacetime result that we've seen in Britain.

David Cameron wants people to believe that his isolation in Europe is a result of Britain being outnumbered when it matters most.

I would like a UK fully engaged in Europe, but I can't decide in place of the British. I see that for the moment they want to be more in retreat.

Let me be absolutely clear: I think it is defeatist to sort of say we want to leave the European Union. We're going to try and change the rules and change the way it works and change the objectives that it has in order to make it something that works for Britain.

The next leader of this country needs to be someone who believes heart and soul that Britain should be outside the European Union.

Scottish nationalism has grown since we entered the European Union.

England has collapsed politically, monetarily, constitutionally, and economically. It is not reasonable to demand from them to trigger Article 50.

We should not replicate the situation where one country is in a situation to hijack the rest of Europe because they organize a referendum.

Would I have voted to leave the European Union? Yes, I would. My theory there is that Britain was fed up having won two World Wars against the Germans and had reached the boiling and breaking point of being told where to live and what to do by a bunch of bureaucrats in Belgium. It was out of that frustration that the vote to leave was made.

If you have a Tory government at Westminster that takes us out of Europe against our will, there may be people in Scotland who think, 'You know what, we might be better off independent.'

The referendum was clear: the British people voted to leave the single market and to take back control of our borders.

The decision to trigger Article 50 is in the hands of the next prime minister. If that is me, I will make a judgement as to when is right for Britain, and I won't be hurried or hassled by anyone into pressing that button or triggering that article until I believe it is right for this country.

Brexit was the first brick that was knocked out of the establishment wall.

We did it! Britain is no longer a member of the European Union. By 'we' I mean the 17.4 million Britons who voted Leave, Nigel Farage who fought for the cause for 25 years, Brexit Party MEPs, Tory Party members who were brave enough to desert their party in droves at the Euro-elections and, of course, the Daily Express.

If I am prime minister, we will come out of the European Union, and part of that will be control of free movement.

I think that what is happening now in terms of the Brexit vote does represent a serious undermining of the Good Friday Agreement.

Under Conservative, Labour, and coalition governments, the U.K. was never willing to accept all the moves to union or all the requirements of the E.U.

I worry about the direction of the U.K. and U.K. politics and governance in the event of a Brexit.

I'm going to devote myself full time to securing and then winning a referendum on leaving the E.U.

As far as I am concerned this referendum should settle the matter. I believe it will one way or another be decisive. Britain will not want to go through this again. On the other hand if we vote to leave, this really is irreversible.

When we vote to leave, I think a majority of people in Scotland will also vote to leave as well.

Did I want Britain to remain in the E.U.? Yes. Did I fear the consequences if we quit? Yes. Did I argue passionately for that during the referendum? Absolutely I did.

There must be no attempts to remain inside the E.U., no attempts to rejoin it through the back door, and no second referendum.