John Major: Brexit process must avoid 'tyranny of the majority'
He also criticised the "flavour of bigotry" of the campaign to leave the EU in June, calling it "shameful," in remarks reported by The Times.
"I hear the argument that the 48% of people who voted to stay should have no say in what happens," he said.
"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," Major said on Thursday.
His remarks come a few days after Chancellor Philip Hammond's laid out the damage Brexit will do to the UK economy in his Autumn statement. Hammond presented the latest forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibilityon Wednesday- which showed that by 2020, UK GDP will be 1.1% lower than forecast in March, when a Remain victory was widely expected.
Major said the slim margin of winning for the Leave campaign cannot be interpreted as a mandate to pursue a so-called hard Brexit, where immigration controls are prioritised over membership of the EU's single market.
"Some of the 52 % voted because they wanted to leave Europe, or they didn't like the government, or they didn't like immigration, or they didn't like the fact that there was a Sunday in the week, and so it is very difficult to know precisely where the balance of real opinion lies," Major said.
Major added that the tone of the referendum campaign was "shameful, adding: "We need to understand and say publicly that most immigration is a boost to our national wellbeing and not a drain on it."