Before becoming prime minister and a month ahead of the Brexit vote, Theresa May spoke of the potential economic hit the U.K. would take if it left the EU and argued remaining was a boon for trade and security.
“The economic arguments are clear,” May said in a speech at bank Goldman Sachs in London on May 26 when she was still home secretary, the Guardian revealed Wednesday.
“I think being part of a 500-million trading bloc is significant for us,” she said. “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 U.K. because it is the U.K. in Europe.”
May argued there were “definite” economic benefits for Britain to retain membership of the EU.
“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 U.K. presence?'” May said.
May also told the bankers that Britain should take a lead role in Europe and that she hoped voters would look to the future rather than the past, the Guardian reported.