George Osborne claims Britain has 'gone off a cliff' in blistering anti-Brexit tirade

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The UK is 'clearly poorer than it would otherwise be' because of Brexit, according to the former Tory Chancellor

George Osborne said the UK has "gone off a cliff" since Brexit as he called for a return to the European Union customs union.

The former Conservative Chancellor, now Chairman of the British Museum, said the UK economy has been drastically affected by leaving the bloc.

Mr Osborne said it would be easier to rejoin the customs union than to join the single market.

"Brexit has been a mess," he told The Independent. “Britain has basically gone off a cliff.

"It has had a huge impact on the British economy. It is clearly poorer than it would otherwise be."

The former Chancellor has recently engaged in an act of European collaboration by bringing the Bayeux Tapestry to the British Museum in a sold-out exhibition.

"A bit like the Bayeux Tapestry isn’t the end of the story, Brexit's not the end of the story," he said.

Mr Osborne argued issues including immigration, the economy, and the "regulation of new technologies" could not be solved unless the UK worked the EU.

He added: "I would rejoin the customs union. It's a quite simple thing to do.

"That was never part of the Brexit debate. No one knew we were leaving it and it has had a devastating impact on trade.

"The reason we weren't supposed to be in the customs union – according to the Brexiteers – was these great trade deals we were going to strike with America. That all looks pretty fanciful now.

“People now realise you can't look at Britain's growth problem without beginning to think, 'how can we revive trade with the continent, how can we get investment?'."

Andy Burnham previously said he hoped to see the UK join the EU within his lifetime, but since entering No10 has committed to the Labour manifesto to not rejoin the bloc or its customs union.

But Mr Osborne said on Sunday joining the free trade arrangement was a simple move to make.

"If I was Andy Burnham, I don’t see why you wouldn’t rejoin the customs union," he said.

"It's a pretty straightforward decision because unlike (rejoining) the single market, it does not require you to accept the free movement of people – which is a pretty complicated issue to sell to people in Britain at the moment."

In November, Andy Burnham will attend a EU-UK Summit to strengthen relations and comes to terms on three agreements made in 2025's Common Understanding under Sir Keir Starmer.

EU officials told Politico last week it was unlikely the two sides would agree on a large-scale trade agreement, saying it was "for another day" at the meeting, originally scheduled for November 6.

The summit has now also been pushed back to late November, according to the Financial Times, amid tensions around the EU's "Made in Europe" scheme which could exclude Britain from the automotive and chemical industries.

Downing Street has also debated how far the UK should push to be included in the scheme, with Sir Keir previously offering to home fees to European students for entry.