Sir Patrick Stewart tells The View that the British were sold 'damn-right lies' over Brexit

Sir Patrick Stewart appears on The View. Photograph: ABC. - Credit: Archant

Americans on a talk show cannot understand why there isn’t a re-run of the EU referendum after Sir Patrick Stewart talked about the ‘manipulation’ and ‘interference’ during the original referendum campaign.

Sir Patrick appeared on the popular US programme The View on ABC to talk about his new film, but was also asked for his perspective on British politics.

The People’s Vote campaigner was asked by comedian, actress, and presenter Joy Behar if he believed the Russians had interfered in the EU referendum like she believed they had in the American presidential elections.

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He said: ‘I wasn’t there to witness it, but I have no doubt about it. All the evidence seems to be pointing towards the fact there was interference and manipulation, not only of the people in the election, but also the election results.’

A confused panellist then asked: ‘So why don’t the people in England just take another vote, now we know they’re trying to interfere?’

To laughter from the actor, he said: ‘Please, we’ve got enough with Brexit!

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‘I am one of those campaigning for another referendum, because they lied to us about the first one, though she [Theresa May] keeps saying ‘that was democracy’.

‘No it wasn’t democratic because there were falsehoods, misleading statements, and downright lies! People made their vote based on that information.’

Stewart was clapped by the Americans as the panel saw comparisons between the Brexit referendum and the US presidential election.

In an interview with TNE, the anti-Brexit campaigner said that he believed Jeremy Corbyn was not trying to stop Brexit because it benefitted him electorally.

He said: ‘I am not a politician and I am not a strategist, but I have a suspicion Jeremy believes a disastrous Brexit would benefit him politically, and, in all the chaos and confusion that would occur after the policy is implemented – in either a hard or a soft way, I might add – he sees himself taking power. It seems to me to be just plain wrong to play with the country’s future in this way.’