The ex-England captain attacked europhile politicians such as Tony Blair and Sir John Major after both former prime ministers this week suggested Britain’s exit from the EU could be halted.
In a furious blast on Twitter, Sir Ian wrote: “When are these people going to accept and get on with the fact that we had a referendum….and the country voted “LEAVE” !! Move on..!!”
The sporting star, dubbed ‘Beefy’, teamed up with the Vote Leave campaign before the June 23 referendum, as he expressed fears Britain was “losing identity” and would be “swallowed up” by an EU superstate.
Amid a backlash from Remain supporters to his Twitter outburst, Sir Ian berated the “dying EU” and insisted he wants “what is best for the country and to run it ourselves not Brussels”.
But Sir Ian attracted unusual support from ITV’s Good Morning Britain presenter Piers Morgan, who posted: “Agreed, Beefy. I voted Remain but we lost, Leave won. It’s called democracy. Move on & make it work.”
Sir Ian, who is currently in India to cover England’s ongoing tour in his role as a Sky Sports commentator, spoke out following another pro-Remain intervention by Mr Blair this week.
The ex-Labour premier used a New Statesman interview to insist Brexit “can be stopped” despite admitting he is too unpopular to return to frontline British politics to make the case for staying in the EU.
Meanwhile, Sir John – another Remain backer who teamed up with Mr Blair during the referendum – warned against the “tyranny of the majority” following the British public’s backing for Brexit this summer.
The former Tory prime minister declared there is a “perfectly credible case” for a second EU referendum.
In reported comments, the ex-Conservative leader said: “I hear the argument that the 48 per cent of people who voted to stay should have no say in what happens. I find that very difficult to accept.
“The tyranny of the majority has never applied in a democracy and it should not apply in this particular democracy.”
In response to the remarks made by Mr Blair and Sir John, Richard Tice, the co-chair of the Leave Means Leave pressure group, said: “These patronising comments demonstrate the utter contempt they have for the British people.
“Their refusal to accept the result of the EU referendum shows they have no regard for democracy.
“These condescending politicians are the embodiment of everything the British public dislike about politics.
“At the time of the EU referendum, then Prime Minister David Cameron made it clear that there would be no second referendum – that the vote would be decisive.
“Britain voted to leave the EU, to leave the Single Market, to leave the customs union, to end UK taxpayer contributions to the EU, to no longer be subject to the European Court of Justice and to regain control of our borders.
“The public have spoken, the Government is delivering and these politicians of the past must move aside so that Britain can embrace the opportunities of Brexit and look to a prosperous future.”
Sir Ian scored 5,200 runs and took 383 wickets during his long career in the England Test side. He was awarded a knighthood for services to charity in 2007.
November 26th, 2016: Express