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28th Jan 2019

Miriam Margolyes calls for David Cameron to be ‘boiled in oil’ for Brexit ‘disaster’

James Dawson

The Harry Potter actor made the comments on an Australian TV show

Miriam Margolyes attacked David Cameron for his role in Brexit on Sunday claiming that he should be “boiled in oil” for allowing the “disaster” to happen in a clip that has since gone viral.

The 77-year-old actor’s comment came after she was asked her view on Britain leaving the EU during an appearance on an Australian breakfast TV show.

She said: “Well, I’m not allowed to say the words that spring to mind because it’s early in the morning and people are tender in the morning. But I think it’s a load of…”

At which point the host cut her off and suggested the word “bollocks”, to which Margolyes then replied: “Well, bollocks is what it is. It’s wrong and it’s based on ignorance, people were lied too. Politicians didn’t tell the truth, particularly Boris Johnson. It is a disaster for England, it really is.”

English-born Margolyes – who became an Australian citizen in 2013 – is best known for playing Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter franchise, as well as winning a BAFTA for her role in The Age of Innocence. She is currently on a publicity tour for The Lady in the Van.

Continuing her tirade against Brexit, she added: “I don’t think it’s going to end, I think it’s going to go on for years, and we are wasting our resources and our time and our focus, it’s absolute nonsense, piffle.”

“And David Cameron, who was our prime minister, he should be boiled in oil. It was just an absolute waste.”

Although Cameron backed Remain in the 2016 referendum, it was his Conservative general election pledge that promised the vote in the first place.

Credit: Getty Images

The comments come after European Council president Donald Tusk speculated last week that Cameron had only committed his party to a referendum on the EU because he didn’t believe it would happen.

“I asked David Cameron: ‘Why did you decide on this referendum? It’s so dangerous, or even stupid, you know?’,” Tusk recalled in  BBC programme Inside Europe: Ten Years of Turmoil.

“And he told me and I was really amazed, and even shocked. That the only reason was his own party, the Tories, and that he felt really safe because he thought at the same time that there was no risk of a referendum.

“Because his coalition partner, the Liberal Democrats, would block his idea of a referendum. But then, surprisingly, he won and there was no coalition partner. Paradoxically, David Cameron became the real victim of his own victory.”