KEMI BADENOCH has vowed to tear up Keir Starmer’s “EU reset” if it sells out Britain, warning she’ll fight to claw back any powers handed to Brussels.
The Conservative Party leader fired a warning shot ahead of Starmer’s major summit with EU bosses on May 19, saying she will “make it my mission to take back every power he hands over to Brussels.”
Mrs Badenoch will confront top EU envoy Pedro Serrano in London on Monday, accusing Labour of plotting backdoor deals on immigration and fishing rights that would “violate the settled principles which the public in the UK voted for in the referendum.”
In a blunt letter to Mr Serrano, seen by The Telegraph, she wrote: “The next Conservative government under my leadership would not remain bound by terms that failed the five tests set out above, and damaged the interests of the United Kingdom and its people.”
She blasted the Prime Minister’s plan to deepen ties with Brussels, branding it “not worth the paper it’s written on.”
The showdown comes as Labour prepares for a UK-EU summit. But Badenoch says the PM’s strategy is a “sell-out” that could unleash a new wave of European migration and “betray our fishing industry.”
She warned that Labour’s proposed youth mobility scheme could “increase immigration asymmetrically”, making Britain vulnerable to another surge in EU migration.
Mrs Badenoch said: “I am wary of arrangements such as ‘youth mobility’ or asylum returns agreements that could increase immigration asymmetrically, given our ongoing border challenges.”
She added: “It’s crucial that any agreements do not exacerbate these pressures, as they would violate the settled principles which the public in the UK voted for in the referendum.”
And she slammed the idea of giving EU fleets greater access to UK waters in return for defence cooperation, calling it “a betrayal of our fishing industry.”
A Conservative spokesman said: “Kemi hopes that pledging to reverse Starmer’s EU surrender will send a clear signal to the EU that any lopsided deal they sign with Labour isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.”
The Conservative Party chief also took aim at the PM’s global record, saying: “After his Chagos Islands surrender, and the weak deals with India and the US, I don’t hold out much hope for Starmer’s so-called EU reset.”
She blasted Labour’s economic record and added: “This new EU deal could throw open Britain’s doors to millions of young EU workers just as unemployment rises at home. And this on top of a likely sell-out of our fishing industry.”
“It’s time Keir Starmer shows some strength,” she said. “An EU deal done out of weakness will make life harder for British families and businesses.”
“If he gets it wrong, I will make it my mission to take back every power he hands over to Brussels. I will always fight for Britain’s national interest – not sell it off in a panic.”
Despite her strong stance, Mrs Badenoch insisted she would not breach diplomatic protocol during her meeting with Mr Serrano, saying: “I do not expect to be discussing any details of negotiations when we meet or break any protocol.”
“It is the prerogative of the democratically elected government to determine the best policies for the country as it sees them,” she said. “It is the job of the opposition, my job, to hold them to account.”
Will Badenoch’s Brexit battle cry turn the tide for the Tories, or is it too little, too late?
Have your say: Is Starmer’s EU reset a betrayal of Brexit?
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