I wouldn’t shed a tear if Britain left Europe

A British government minister tipped as a potential successor to Prime Minister David Cameron as leader of the Conservative Party said on Thursday he wouldn’t shed a tear if Britain left the European Union.
Cameron has promised to renegotiate Britain’s ties with the bloc before holding a membership referendum in 2017, if his party wins what is set to be a closely-fought national election on May 7.
Asked at a lunch for reporters if he would shed a tear if Britain left the EU, Culture Secretary Sajid Javid said: “The most important thing is the British people are given a choice … would I shed a tear? No.”
Changes sought by Cameron, who has said he favours remaining in a reformed EU but will rule nothing out if his negotiations are unsuccessful, include further curbing EU migrants’ access to Britain’s welfare system and reducing business regulation.
“There are a lot of reasons to be very confident about the plans that the Conservatives have to renegotiate,” said Javid, a former investment banker. “But … when it comes to getting those changes and then the referendum, nothing should be off the table.”