Editing John Major (section)

===Political engagement===
[[File:John Major Chatham House Prize 2010.jpg|thumb|right|Major delivering a speech at [[Chatham House]] in 2010]]
Major has become an active after-dinner speaker, earning over £25,000 per engagement for his "insights and his own opinions" on politics and other matters according to his agency.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article2300374.ece |title=Forty million dollar Bill: Earning power of an ex-leader |date=24 February 2007 |work=The Independent |location=London |access-date=28 June 2007 |first=Daniel |last=Bentley |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015064614/http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article2300374.ece |archive-date=15 October 2007}}</ref> Major is also actively involved in various [[think tank]]s: he is the chair of the Panel of senior advisers at [[Chatham House]] (having previously served as a president of Chatham House),<ref name="Chatham">{{cite news|title=The Rt Hon Sir John Major KG CH|url=https://www.chathamhouse.org/about/governance/rt-hon-sir-john-major-kg-ch|publisher=Chatham House|access-date=9 January 2022}}</ref> a member of the International Advisory Boards of the [[Peres Center for Peace]] in Israel,<ref name="Chatham"/> the [[InterAction Council]],<ref name="Chatham"/> the [[James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy|Baker Institute]] in Houston,<ref name="Atlantic">{{cite web|title=AP people – John Major|url=https://atlanticpartnership.org/people/the-rt-hon-john-major-ch/|website=Atlantic Partnership|access-date=28 April 2020}}</ref> and a Patron of the Atlantic Partnership.<ref name="Chatham"/><ref name="Atlantic"/> Major was also a director with the [[Ditchley Foundation]] from 2000 to 2009,<ref name="Companies">{{cite web|title=Appointments – John Major|url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/officers/X7J4WS2Y7sowOUXRiaiM7J1Jv7c/appointments|website=Companies House|access-date=28 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Rt Hon Sir John Major, KG, CH|url=https://www.ditchley.com/rt-hon-sir-john-major-kg-ch|website=Ditchley Foundation|access-date=28 April 2020}}</ref> and a president of the influential centre-right think tank the [[Bow Group]] from 2012 to 2014.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bow Group President Sir John Major reflects on 20 years of the Northern Irish Peace Process and his role in it|url=https://www.bowgroup.org/news/bow-group-president-sir-john-major-reflects-20-years-northern-irish-peace-process-and-his-role|website=Bow Group|access-date=28 April 2020|archive-date=20 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200420071121/https://www.bowgroup.org/news/bow-group-president-sir-john-major-reflects-20-years-northern-irish-peace-process-and-his-role|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In February 2005, it was reported that Major and Norman Lamont delayed the release of papers on Black Wednesday under the [[Freedom of Information Act 2000|Freedom of Information Act]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4248855.stm |title=Treasury releases 1992 ERM papers |work=BBC News  |date=9 February 2005 |access-date=13 March 2011}}</ref> Major denied doing so, saying that he had not heard of the request until the scheduled release date and had merely asked to look at the papers himself.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.johnmajorarchive.org.uk/2001-2010/mr-majors-statement-on-erm-paper-release-4-february-2005/|title=Mr Major's Statement on ERM Paper Release |publisher=John Major Archive |date=4 February 2005|access-date=28 April 2020}}</ref> He told [[BBC News]] that he and Lamont had been the victims of "whispering voices" to the press.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4238937.stm |title=Major denies blocking ERM papers |work=BBC News  |date=5 February 2005 |access-date=28 April 2020}}</ref> He later publicly approved the release of the papers.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4250399.stm |title=Major welcomes ERM papers release |work=BBC News |date=9 February 2005 |access-date=28 April 2020}}</ref>

In December 2006, Major led calls for an independent inquiry into Blair's decision to [[2003 invasion of Iraq|invade Iraq]], following revelations made by [[Carne Ross]], a former British senior diplomat, that contradicted Blair's case for the invasion.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article2079340.ece |title=John Major leads calls for inquiry into conflict |date=16 December 2006 |work=The Independent |location=London |access-date=17 December 2006 |first1=Colin |last1=Brown |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070108174201/http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article2079340.ece |archive-date=8 January 2007 }}</ref>

He was touted as a possible Conservative candidate for the [[2008 London mayoral election|Mayor of London elections in 2008]], but turned down an offer from the Leader of the Conservatives at the time, [[David Cameron]]. A spokesperson for Major said "his political career is behind him".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article1717355.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110815033400/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article1717355.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 August 2011|title=Cameron snubbed again as Major rules out mayor race|date=28 April 2007|work=[[The Times]] |location=London |access-date=3 May 2008 | first=Philip | last=Webster}}</ref>
[[File:John Major 2014.jpg|left|thumb|257x257px|Major delivering a speech at The Role of the Nation State in Addressing Global Challenges in 2014]]
Following the 2010 general election, Major announced his support for the [[Cameron–Clegg coalition]], and stated that he hoped for a "[[liberal conservative]]" alliance beyond 2015, criticising Labour under [[Ed Miliband]] for playing "party games" rather than serving the national interest.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11981011|title=BBC News&nbsp;– Ed Miliband asks Lib Dems to help draw up Labour policy|work=BBC News|date=13 December 2010|access-date=28 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11852628|title=Sir John Major urges Tory and Lib Dem pact to continue|work=BBC News|date=27 November 2010|access-date=28 April 2020}}</ref> Nevertheless, in 2013 Major expressed his concern at the seeming decline in [[social mobility]] in Britain: "In every single sphere of British influence, the upper echelons of power in 2013 are held overwhelmingly by the privately educated or the affluent middle class. To me, from my background, I find that truly shocking."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24896266|title=Private school influence in public life 'shocking' says Major|work=BBC News|date=11 November 2013|access-date=29 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/nov/11/john-major-shocked-elite-social-mobility|title=John Major 'shocked' at privately educated elite's hold on power|work=The Guardian|date=11 November 2013|access-date=29 April 2020}}</ref>

During the [[2014 Scottish independence referendum]] Major strongly encouraged a "No" vote, stating that a vote for independence would be damaging both for Scotland and the rest of the UK. This was similar to his stance on devolution in Scotland before referendums were held on the subject both there and in Wales in 1997.<ref>{{cite news|last=Stacey |first=Kiran |url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/4aceef46-6679-11e3-aa10-00144feabdc0.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/4aceef46-6679-11e3-aa10-00144feabdc0.html |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |title=Scots independence threat to UK influence, says Sir John Major |work=Financial Times |date=16 December 2013 |access-date=31 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-25145961 |title=Scottish independence: Former prime minister John Major gives warning |website=BBC News |publisher=BBC |date=28 November 2013 |access-date=31 January 2014}}</ref>
[[File:Queen Elizabeth II with her British Prime Ministers, Diamond Jubilee 2012.jpg|thumb|Major with Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister [[David Cameron]], and former prime ministers [[Tony Blair]] and [[Gordon Brown]]]]
Major was a vocal supporter for the Remain campaign in the [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|2016 referendum]] on British membership of the European Union. Major supported a [[Proposed referendum on the Brexit withdrawal agreement|second referendum]] over [[Brexit]], stating that the leave campaign put out a "fantasy case" during the referendum campaign, adding that to describe a second vote as undemocratic was "a rather curious proposition" and that he could see no "intellectual argument" against redoing the ballot.<ref>{{cite news|title=Sir John Major condemns Boris Johnson for 'routine attacks' on PM without 'any coherent' Brexit plan|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-latest-boris-johnson-john-major-negotiations-a8560751.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220613/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-latest-boris-johnson-john-major-negotiations-a8560751.html |archive-date=13 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=10 July 2019|work=[[The Independent]]|date=29 September 2018}}</ref> Major feared Brexit would make the UK poorer and could endanger the peace settlement in Northern Ireland.<ref>{{cite news|title=John Major calls for Commons vote on second referendum|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/feb/28/john-major-calls-for-commons-vote-on-second-referendum|access-date=10 July 2019|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=28 February 2018}}</ref>

On 30 August 2019, it was announced that Major intended to join [[R (Miller) v The Prime Minister and Cherry v Advocate General for Scotland|a court case by Gina Miller]] against the [[2019 British prorogation controversy|proroguing of Parliament]] by the prime minister at the time, [[Boris Johnson]].<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://edition.cnn.com/uk/live-news/brexit-talks-challenge-intl-gbr/index.html |title = Boris Johnson faces Brexit challenges as he steps up talks with EU: Live updates| newspaper=CNN |date = 30 August 2019}}</ref> In the [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019 general election]] Major urged voters to vote tactically against candidates supporting [[Boris Johnson]] when those candidates wanted a hard Brexit. Major said Brexit is, "the worst foreign policy decision in my lifetime. It will affect nearly every single aspect of our lives for many decades to come. It will make our country poorer and weaker. It will hurt most those who have least. Never have the stakes been higher, especially for the young. Brexit may even break up our historic United Kingdom."<ref>{{cite news|title=General election: Former Tory PM John Major urges people to vote against Boris Johnson's candidates|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-general-election-campaign-john-major-conservatives-vote-a9235436.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220613/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-general-election-campaign-john-major-conservatives-vote-a9235436.html |archive-date=13 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|work=The Independent|date=December 2019|access-date=28 April 2020}}</ref> In early 2020, after the UK formally left the EU with [[Brexit withdrawal agreement|an initial deal]], Major expressed his concerns about a future trading deal with the EU being "flimsy".<ref>{{cite news|title=John Major warns rushed UK-EU trade deal will be 'flimsy'|url=https://www.ft.com/content/dd9b1d66-4de2-11ea-95a0-43d18ec715f5 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/dd9b1d66-4de2-11ea-95a0-43d18ec715f5 |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|work=Financial Times|date=13 February 2020|access-date=28 April 2020}}</ref>

In February 2022, Major made a speech at the [[Institute for Government]] think-tank in London, in which he criticised Johnson over the [[Partygate]] scandal, suggesting that he ought to resign, and also the proposed policy for those seeking asylum which he called "un-British".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/boris-johnson-uk-reputation-partygate-john-major/ |title=Boris Johnson 'shredding' UK's reputation with Partygate saga, says former PM Major |last=Honeycombe-Foster |first=Matt |date=10 February 2022 |website=Politico Europe |publisher=Axel Springer SE |access-date=20 June 2022}}</ref> In July 2022, immediately following Johnson's announcement he intended to resign as prime minister but would stay until a successor was chosen, Major called for Johnson's immediate replacement and removal "for the overall wellbeing of the country".<ref>{{cite news |date=7 July 2022 |title=Former UK PM Major: Boris Johnson must go now, for good of the country |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/former-uk-pm-major-boris-johnson-must-go-now-good-country-2022-07-07/ |access-date=7 July 2022}}</ref>

In February 2023, Major made a speech at the [[Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee]], where he said that Brexit was "a colossal mistake" and that Johnson agreed to the Brexit protocol knowing it was "a mess".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-02-11 |title=Brexit 'colossal mistake', John Major tells MPs |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-mistake-john-major-tories-b2277386.html |access-date=2023-02-15 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Carroll |first1=Rory |date=2023-02-07 |title=Boris Johnson agreed Brexit protocol knowing it was a 'mess', says John Major |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/feb/07/boris-johnson-agreed-brexit-protocol-knowing-it-was-mess-says-john-major |access-date=2023-02-15 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>