David Cameron has privately admitted that Brexit has not turned out to be the “disaster” he predicted it would be during the referendum campaign.
The former prime minister was chatting to Lakshmi Mittal, the steel tycoon, in Davos when cameras unwittingly recorded them.
Mr Mittal observes that Brexit is the hot topic and Mr Cameron responds: “Yes, it’s frustrating. It’s a mistake not a disaster. It’s turned out less badly than we first thought. But it’s still going to be difficult.”
During the referendum campaign, Mr Cameron described a vote to leave the EU as a “self-destruct option” and a Treasury analysis warned that it would tip the UK into a year-long recession, with up to 820,000 jobs lost within two years.