Heseltine: this will be "most dishonest" election of my life

The forthcoming general election will be “the most dishonest of my life”, former deputy prime minister Michael Heseltine has warned.

Lord Heseltine told an event marking the 75th anniversary of the European Movement, which promotes closer ties between the UK and Europe, that no party was talking about rebuilding ties after Brexit.

The solutions to many of the problems facing the next government involved building a stronger relationship with the EU said 91-year-old Heseltine, who served as John Major’s deputy.

He told the event in Parliament: “It is going to be the most dishonest general election of my life. Why? Because it’s going to talk about all the problems, but avoid any of the real solutions which depend upon a closer relationship with Europe.

“There are defence issues. There are environmental issues. There is immigration.

“Wherever you look, the solutions for a British government lie in conjunction with our neighbours. If you are going to try and influence your neighbours, you would be advised to have reasonable conditions with them.”

Nick Harvey, CEO of the European Movement UK, said the election would mark the end of a turbulent Parliament which had done untold damage to our relationship with our European neighbours.

He said: “The backdrop to this Parliament was the decision for the UK to leave the European Union, an act of economic self-harm that has compounded a crisis-ridden period in our politics.

“With a new government, we have the chance to begin to reverse the damage that Brexit has done to our country and to treat the issue of our place in Europe as a normal political matter. The European Movement will be clear throughout this general election that political candidates of all parties must acknowledge the elephant in the room – that Brexit isn’t working, and that public opinion is shifting.

“We must put a stop to the erosion of our rights and standards since our departure from the European Union.”

A new Parliament must commit to increased cooperation with the EU, including rejoining agencies and programmes like Erasmus+, Harvey said.

“The European Movement will be working with future MPs to ensure they share our aim of restoring our place at the heart of Europe.”

The European Movement was formed by Winston Churchill in 1949 in the wake of World War II to promote closer ties between the UK and Europe.