David Cameron has used his first major speech since resigning in June to explain why he felt people voted for Brexit – and defend his decision to hold the referendum.

Mr Cameron, speaking at DePauw University in Indiana, also spoke of similarities between the Brexit vote and the election of Donald Trump – and he used his platform in the United States to urge Mr Trump to respect the “incredibly precious” American values of freedom, tolerance and outward-looking policies.

In a wide-ranging address – funded by former students Sharon and Timothy Ubben, who since 1986 have invited Tony Blair, Bill Clinton, Benazir Bhutto and Mikhail Gorbachev to speak - the former prime minister warned against being seduced by “so-called strongmen” leaders, such as Vladimir Putin.

And he said that he did not think other European countries would follow Britain’s lead and leave the EU – although he had deep fears for the future of the euro.

“It’s kind of you to have this ex prime minister here tonight,” he told the crowd inside the sports hall, 40 miles from Indianapolis.

“Because of course, the last time the British had a prime minister my age was about 202 years ago, and that ended up with the British invading North America and burning down the White House.”