Britain will rejoin EU single market as older Brexiteers die off, Ryanair boss

The Ryanair boss said the UK will have ‘no choice’ but to strike a deal with the EU similar to Switzerland or Norway

Michael O’Leary said as Brexiteers die off, a pro-European generation will see the UK strike a Norway or Switzerland-style trade deal with the EU (AFP/Getty Images)

The boss of Ryanair said the UK will rejoin the single market in the next 15 years as there is “no question” Brexit is holding Britain back.

Michael O’Leary said as Brexiteers die off, a pro-European generation will see the UK strike a Norway or Switzerland-style trade deal with the EU.

"I think they will pay into a European budget, I think they will have no choice," said the outspoken airline boss. Mr O’Leary added: "The fundamental strength of the single market is something that is too attractive for the UK economy to be excluded from."

Mr O’Leary said the only benefit of Brexit so far had been the return of duty free products being sold on flights to and from Europe.

Speaking at the New Economy Gateway event hosted by Bloomberg, the 62-year-old said “quite a number” of Brexit backers will die in the coming decade, saying their average age is over 70.

“Younger people coming through are much more pro-European,” he added.

Mr O’Leary also launched an attack on Boris Johnson, labelling the former PM as “delusional”.

He said: “Everything that was promised to the UK population, the sunny uplands and the ability to do trade deals everywhere around the world were shown to be a tissue of lies.

“We mistakenly assumed there would be some kind of competence at the top of the Government under Johnson.” Mr O’Leary said he is “more optimistic” under the leadership of Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt.

And he added that Britain’s departure from the EU should serve as “a real warning” to the bloc. He said: “You need to focus on the things which improve people’s lives, which is improving the single market."

Mr O’Leary, who has been at the helm of the budget airline since 1994, has been an outspoken critic of Brexit. During the referendum campaign he promised to “bore everybody to death” by repeating a pro-European message.

Ryanair backed the remain campaign by advertising and by lobbying its customers.

At this week’s event, Mr O’Leary said Brexit has been “unbelievably messy”, adding that while the UK’s economy flatlines, in Europe “business is booming and getting boomier”.

And he said Britain’s Labour market is “broken”, with Ryanair being forced to hire workers from outside the UK on “ludicrously expensive” £3,000 visas.