Scott Wightman, Britain’s outgoing senior diplomat in Singapore, has said Britain is now seen worldwide as a country beset by division, obsessed with ideology and careless of truth.
In a valedictory note, he compared Brexit to the fall of Singapore in 1942 and said major investors expect future investment in Europe to be directed more towards Germany and France.
The remarks, first reported by Politico, came as the high commissioner left his post to take up a job in his native Scotland.
Ironically, many Brexiter MPs have claimed the UK can become a free-market haven like Singapore once it is freed from the regulations associated with the European single market.
Wightman said that as a result of Brexit, the nation that Singaporeans “admired for stability, common sense, tolerance and realism grounded in fact, they see beset by division, obsessed with ideology, careless of the truth … I fear many around the world share their view.” » | Patrick Wintour, Diplomatic editor | Wednesday, June 12, 2019
