Britain’s historic vote to quit the bloc was dealt a fresh blow on Sunday as a minister admitted the UK is willing to accept EU rules on food standards as part of its deal with Brussels.
Keir Starmer is set to meet the EU on Monday (Image: Getty)
Labour is set to “surrender control of our country” and accept EU rules on food, Brexiteers have warned. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy were accused of a “Brexit betrayal” last night as they hailed a “new era” of relations between London and Brussels, ahead of a Summit at Lancaster House. Britain’s historic vote to quit the bloc was dealt a fresh blow on Sunday as a minister admitted the UK is willing to accept EU rules on food standards as part of its deal with Brussels.
Agreeing with the European Union on food standards and plant and animal health – without the UK being able to influence the rules – would effectively take London into Brussels’s orbit.
Keir Starmer is seeking to reset relations with Europe (Image: Getty)
Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel said: “Labour are desperately dressing this up as some form of reset, but Express readers will not be fooled by Labour’s lies as they cannot be trusted on anything and they can’t be relied on to defend Brexit because they have never believed in it.
“Now they are hellbent on selling Britain out and giving up the Brexit freedoms we have benefited from.
“From defence, migration cooperation, justice, fisheries and agreeing to make Britain a rule-taker once again under a process called dynamic alignment, subjecting British businesses to EU laws and the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice, Labour are surrendering control of our country to the EU.”
Dame Priti added: “The Foreign Secretary should apologise for his record of frightening and scaremongering the public on Brexit and his many Brexit-induced hysterical claims and personal criticism of those who voted leave.
“As he and Labour bend their knee to their new masters from Brussels, they should be ashamed of their Brexit Betrayal as they sabotage our freedoms and our future by placing the United Kingdom on a pathway back under the control of the EU.”
Talks are set to continue “overnight” as negotiators tried to hammer out key details on a number of topics.
The UK believes “huge progress” has been made towards a “mutually beneficial deal”.
There were said to have been a “number of issues” on food standards.
Shadow cabinet minister Alex Burghart said the UK was on the “brink of this big capitulation”.
He told Camilla Tominey on GB News: “The Government appears poised to sign up to what’s called dynamic alignment.
“Dynamic alignment means that we will have to follow the EU’s rules on a whole host of regulations that affect trade and goods and fishing and food, but we won’t get a say on how those rules are created.
“That’s not what the British people voted for in 2016. What British people voted for was independence and sovereignty and it looks like this is just going to be a roll-over on that.”
Fears over closer ties with Brussels escalated dramatically on Sunday after Nick Thomas-Symonds, the Cabinet member leading the EU reset negotiations, said the Government would “align on common standards to make sure we get far easier trade”.
Currently, sending minced red meat and minced poultry to the EU is banned.
And dead fish and frozen sausages are subject to checks.
A deal with the EU would see restrictions lifted.
But “dynamic alignment” – where the UK is forced to accept rule changes – would force the UK to accept European Court of Justice rulings.
It could also hit future agriculture deals with countries like the US.
Nick Thomas-Symonds, who is leading EU reset talks, told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: “We don’t come at this from an ideological perspective, we come from a practical perspective. Where it is in our national interest to align on common standards to make sure we get far easier trade, to mean that businesses that frankly have had to stop trading with the EU because of the red tape, can start trading with the EU again.”
He added: “It means taking a sovereign choice as to the standards, the common standards we wish to align.
Ursala von der Leyen will be in London on Monday (Image: Getty)
“That’s what we did in the US deal where we wouldn’t compromise on our food standards and it’s exactly that same pragmatic approach for jobs and growth here in this country we are taking in these negotiations.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and EU Commission President Ursala von der Leyen are also set to announce a defence and security pact and a youth mobility scheme.
The defence agreement will give British companies access to a €150 billion fund for military procurement.
It will lay the groundwork for further defence collaboration, including over the war in Ukraine, and European attempts to rearm.
And Sir Keir and Ms von der Leyen could confirm a youth mobility scheme that will allow Europeans aged between 18 and 30 to live and work in the UK.]
This has prompted fears immigration could rocket again.
Former Prime Minister Liz Truss said: “The so-called Reset with the EU will be a disaster for Labour and I predict the measures agreed will be reversed in 2029.
“The trade deal we already have with the EU is the best any country has – there’s very little still to go for.
“Immigration is at record levels – more immigration is the last thing we need.
“There will be more selling off of British interests in areas like fish and red tape. Labour is still peddling the narrative that our problems are caused by Brexit.
“But it’s not true. Britain’s problems are made in Britain. Our crazy Human Rights laws. Our Net Zero economic suicide.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: Nigel Farage added: “Opening up our borders to millions of people in the EU after Starmer’s speech last Monday will make red wall voters doubt Labour even more.
“It’s clear Labour can’t be trusted to secure our borders.
“The idea of British soldiers under an EU flag will be hated in the red wall too. This is a surrender deal by Starmer.”
And the UK could allow EU trawlers more access to UK waters in another blow to British fishermen.
Asked what the EU is aiming for, former Brexit negotiator Lord David Frost added: “They have never wanted Britain to be a completely free country.
“In 2020, they worked really hard until the very last moment to try and keep us subject to their laws and courts.
“They’ve spotted they’ve got a Labour Government that really doesn’t mind giving those things away.”
Asked if any of the deal can be un-done, Lord Frost said: “It can be, it should be.
“Both Conservatives and Reform have said they will reverse it if they come to power.”
A government spokesperson said: “We have always been clear that we will always act in the national interest to secure the best outcome for the UK. That is what independent, sovereign nations do.
“A strengthened, forward-looking partnership with the European Union will be good for growth, good for jobs, good for bills, and good for our borders as we deliver for working people as part of our Plan for Change.”
Most Popular Comments
14 hours ago12
“La grande sell-out avec Monsieur 2TK.”
14 hours ago10
“Reform will undo it all 🙂”
14 hours ago10
“Reform will undo the damage 🙂”