What George Osborne should have written in the Wall Street Journal

We have three months until we get a new Prime Minister but I’m not sure we can wait so long for a new Chancellor. George Osborne’s silence was bad, but his re-emergence is even worse – as his pitiful article in today’s Wall Street Journal shows. It is written as if some awful tragedy had befallen Britain, and that this visibly battered country is appealing for American support. His job is to sell Britain, its people and the historic decision they have just made, rather than disparage it. Osborne’s article is here. Below is what he should have written.

On 23 July, the people of Britain voted to leave the European Union – perhaps the single most momentous decision of my political lifetime. It was not a decision I campaigned for; a move of such a scale brings risks. For me, those risks were too large. But the people who voted decided that the opportunities were greater.