Boris slams Starmer after Labour agrees UK will pay “countless millions” to EU “for the privilege of becoming the non-voting punk of the EU Commission.”
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has launched a blistering broadside against Keir Starmer over the new agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union.
In an incendiary statement issued yesterday, Boris accused Starmer of betraying the public and eroding the gains of Brexit.
“Two-tier Keir is once again going back on his promises to the people of this country – by making us non-voting members of a two-tier European Union,” Johnson said, using a nickname aimed at portraying the Labour leader as beholden to Brussels.
Johnson claimed that under the reported deal, the UK would be bound by EU regulations on various matters such as food standards and emissions trading, without having a say in their creation or amendment.
“We will have to accept whatever changes the EU decides to make to those laws,” he continued. “We will have to accept the rulings of the European Court of Justice in the definition and enforcement of those laws.”
The former Prime Minister warned that such an arrangement would erode British sovereignty and economic flexibility: “We will therefore lose our freedom to innovate in areas such as gene editing and much more besides. We will lose much of our freedom to do proper free trade deals.”
In a pointed criticism of Labour’s approach to fisheries, Johnson accused Starmer of betraying British fishermen. “He has sacrificed UK fishing interests, handing over our seas to be plundered again – when under the current Brexit agreement we are on the point of taking back full legal control, next year, of every fish in our waters.”
Johnson also raised alarm over potential future agreements on free movement and EU control over domestic economic policy. “He is clearly bent on signing up to a deal on free movement which could give 80 million younger EU nationals the right to come to this country,” he said, claiming Starmer “appears from this document to be preparing to allow the EU to regain control of UK policy on state aids and competition.”
Referring to UK financial contributions, Johnson said: “Most bizarrely of all he has agreed that Britain will once again be paying countless millions of pounds into EU coffers – for the privilege of becoming the non-voting punk of the EU Commission!”
The former Conservative leader said: “This deal is hopelessly one sided. It combines the vassalage of Chequers with the surrenderism of Chagos.”
Johnson concluded by asserting that Starmer had broken his campaign promises: “Starmer promised at the election that he would not go back on Brexit. He has broken that promise as he broke his promise on tax.”
Calling for decisive action from his party, Johnson declared: “This deal should not be signed, should not be ratified and should never come into force and if it is the next Conservative government should kick it out forthwith.”
Read Boris Johnson’s full statement here:
Two-tier Keir is once again going back on his promises to the people of this country – by making us non-voting members of a two-tier European Union.
Under this appalling sell out of a deal the UK will have to accept EU law on a host of measures from food standards to emissions trading.
We will have to accept whatever changes the EU decides to make to those laws. We will have to accept the rulings of the European Court of Justice in the definition and enforcement of those laws.
We will therefore lose our freedom to innovate in areas such as gene editing and much more besides. We will lose much of our freedom to do proper free trade deals.
Worst of all we will have no say whatsoever in making those rules and those laws and no ability to change them.
Two-tier Keir is the orange ball-chewing manacled gimp of Brussels. He has sacrificed UK fishing interests, handing over our seas to be plundered again – when under the current Brexit agreement we are on the point of taking back full legal control, next year, of every fish in our waters.
He is clearly bent on signing up to a deal on free movement which could give 80 million younger EU nationals the right to come to this country. He appears from this document to be preparing to allow the EU to regain control of UK policy on state aids and competition.
Most bizarrely of all he has agreed that Britain will once again be paying countless millions of pounds into EU coffers – for the privilege of becoming the non-voting punk of the EU Commission!
What have we got in return? Wishy washy EU promises to get rid of some of the vexatious and unnecessary bureaucracy that they have been using against British travellers and business – but no real guarantees that this will be enforced and above all no real guarantee on frictionless trade between GB and Northern Ireland, which should be entirely a matter for the UK and not the EU.
This deal is hopelessly one sided. It combines the vassalage of Chequers with the surrenderism of Chagos. Starmer promised at the election that he would not go back on Brexit. He has broken that promise as he broke his promise on tax.
This deal should not be signed, should not be ratified and should never come into force and if it is the next Conservative government should kick it out forthwith.
- Boris Johnson
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