ATTITUDES towards the European Union were approaching “xenophobia” in the 1990s, Douglas Hurd warned then Prime Minister John Major.
In confidential papers, Hurd, who had been foreign secretary, warned Major of “poisonous” sentiment towards the EU, saying this was “[tipping] over into xenophobia”.
The 1995 papers are made public for the first time today.
Hurd urged Major to grant a “modest but reasonable” expansion of its embassies and the number of diplomats and “polish” the jewels in the British crown, such as the BBC World Service.
READ MORE: Documents reveal John Major’s ‘success’ in keeping Scotland quiet
Hurd’s document states: “As a medium-sized power in a world lacking an effective superpower, we can best pursue our interests through multilateral organisations, buttressed by selected bilateral alliances.
“The European Union is the most important but we have a strong interest in others as well.
“The common interests of Europe, the growing threats of drugs, crime and immigration, the economic interdependence, means the European Union has to keep on moving forward.
“We could not make Europe stand still, and it is not in our long-term interests to do so.
“The world and our interests in it are too complex for us to rely on a single partner – we need to practise polygamy.”
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