Tearful Austrian says she hopes UK will find new friends other than Donald Trump

Matt Frei spoke to a caller from Austria who had some views on Brexit Britain. Photograph: LBC/PA. - Credit: Archant

A tearful Austrian woman has called a radio station to tell Brits that the days of the British Empire are ‘over’ and to stop dreaming.

Gabriella called Matt Frei’s LBC radio show to tell him that she believed Brexit was a “silly” thing to do an that it made her want to cry.

Asked what advice she would give the UK, she told Frei: “I think stop dreaming and take people that come to you and help you because no English man, as far as I can see, wants to do certain work.

“So I think if you get people from Europe or anywhere else in the world, you should be good and thankful that people come to you because their countries are much better than you at the moment. I’m sorry to say. Pay wise and socially, you know, health wise and so on.

“Because what I hear from other people who found your programme, things are not too good at the moment in England, are they?”

She said her country of Austria had benefited from being a member of the European Union after suffering from the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

“Our country has gone up.

“I can remember what it was like when I was a child before I left it and now I’m back and I cannot recognise it.

“I don’t understand it. I really do not. Things are improving. We had areas in Austria which were so poor, it was hurting you. Now they live in bigger houses and they’re having a job and things are fine.”

As she continued, she went on to speak directly to Brits as it looked towards the January 31st Brexit deadline.

She said: “I’d say sorry that you’re going, I’d say I hope you will find friends in the world except Mr Trump and I think that it’s very silly of you to go and look for trade partners who are so far away. We are just on your doorstep.”