George Osborne admits Brexit 'mistakes' and says he is trying to put them right

The ex-Chancellor says he did not 'properly understand' how angry the public were with the establishment

Former Chancellor George Osborne (PA)

George Osborne has told how he has been trying to come to terms with "mistakes" he made in office, in particular the Brexit vote.

The ex-Chancellor said the British public’s decision to quit the European Union was an expression of an anger against the establishment that he admitted he had not properly understood.

Asked about what he had been doing since leaving government, he said: "It gives you time to think a bit about life, think about what you can do for the community you represent, think about mistakes I’ve made and how we can put them right – not least why the country voted the way it did in the referendum that led to me leaving Downing Street."

Speaking to the BBC, he went on : "I don’t think I properly understood the sense that people had in many communities, particularly in the North of England that they were completely disconnected from the system, from the way our country was governed, that they felt angry about things.

"I think many people used the EU referendum to express that anger."

Mr Osborne lost his job when Theresa May took over and appointed a new cabinet. Since returning to the backbenches, he has set up a new think tank to pursue his Northern Powerhouse initiative.

But he has also taken a swipe at Ms May’s plans for more grammar schools, while some of his former allies on the Commons benches have questioned the Prime Minister’s approach to Brexit.