The Prime Minister is warned that voters in traditional Labour Red Wall strongholds will never forgive him if he betrays Brexit
The rise of Reform UK has caused dismay in Labour ranks (Image: Getty)
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has warned Sir Keir Starmer he will face the wrath of voters in traditional Labour heartlands if he delivers an “abject surrender” to the European Union. Leaders from across the bloc will gather in London for a landmark summit on Monday at which the Prime Minister is expected to back a scheme to allow young European citizens to work in the UK as part of a deal to “reset” Britain’s relationship with the EU.
Mr Farage warned: “The Prime Minister thinks he’ll get away with this surrender deal but he underestimates how strong Brexit feeling still is in the Red Wall. The whole ‘reset’ is an abject surrender from Starmer and politically something he will come to regret.”
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said she was “very worried” about the deal Sir Keir has negotiated.
She said: “Labour should have used this review of our EU trade deal to secure new wins for Britain, such as an EU-wide agreement on Brits using e-gates on the continent. Instead, it sounds like we’re giving away our fishing quotas, becoming a rule-taker from Brussels once again and getting free movement by the back door.
“This isn’t a reset, it’s a surrender.”
Former Tory cabinet minister Esther McVey also warned that voters in Labour’s historic strongholds will revolt if Sir Keir is seen to sell-out the UK.
She said: “Surrender Starmer is already haemorrhaging votes in the Red Wall. If he capitulates to the EU, he – and the Labour Party – will never be forgiven there.”
The warning from Mr Farage comes as Labour reels at the loss of former safe seat Runcorn and Helsby to Reform UK.
Sir Keir Starmer and France’s Emmanuel Macron in Tirana (Image: Getty)
There are worries Sir Keir will bow to pressure from France and agree that European fishing vessels can continue harvesting stocks in British waters for five years. European states are also pushing for EU students to have lower fees in British universities, and Brexiteers fear the UK will pledge to match Brussels’ food standards.
Sir Liam Fox, Britain’s former International Trade Secretary warned such “regulatory alignment” would be a “betrayal of Brexit”.
He said: “We would have to obey changes in EU rules without having any say in how they are made. It would tie our hands in any trade agreements outside the EU.
“We would be defenceless supplicants, worse off than before the referendum.”
Negotiations are expected to go to the wire with diplomats ready to thrash out the details into the early hours of Monday morning. The PM has prepared the ground for a reciprocal youth mobility scheme, adamant it would not be a return to freedom of movement. The Government insists it is taking an approach of “ruthless” pragmatism.
The Prime Minister pointed to his record delivering trade deals with India and the United States, and said: “Tomorrow, we take another step forwards, with yet more benefits for the United Kingdom as the result of a strengthened partnership with the European Union. It will be good for our jobs, good for our bills and good for our borders.
“That’s what the British people voted for last year, and it’s what my government will deliver.”
But Lord Frost, who served as Chief Brexit Negotiator under Boris Johnson, warned: “Labour’s reset deal takes us a big step back towards EU control of this country… Labour doesn’t care about this country’s freedom and independence. They just want to be friends with their mates in Brussels, and they have literally given away the farm to get it.”
Former Business Secretary Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg claimed the EU is in decline, saying: “The European economies are failing while the rest of the world grows, it is the past. Why would we shackle ourselves to a cadaver?”
Labour insists the present post-Brexit settlement is not working for the country, with farmers and manufacturers hit with red tape. There is strong concern about declines in exports and delays at borders.
But Lord Jackson, who served as chief of staff to Brexit Secretary Sir David Davis, accused the Prime Minister of hiding the negotiations from parliamentary scrutiny, warning the Government is “preparing to formalise the UK’s role as supplicant to the EU” and “throwing away our strongest cards such as our fishing waters”.
‘This is a full-on surrender deal that serves no purpose but is, as ever, good for the EU’
Boris Johnson signing the original post-Brexit deal with the EU (Image: Getty)
Former Brexit minister David Jones argued the PM wants Britain back in the EU.
He said: “We must never forget that Keir Starmer – the man who wanted a second Brexit referendum – is desperate to see Britain rejoin the EU. Anything he does in a European context should therefore be treated with extreme suspicion.
“Free trade with partners around the world is obviously desirable. But trade with the EU always comes with strings attached.
“Starmer must not surrender our important fisheries to the EU. Nor must he sign up to participation in a European army.
“Most importantly, he must not submit the UK to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice, which would mean surrendering UK sovereignty.
“If he does, he will face the wrath of British voters, who will inevitably turf Labour out at the next general election and vote in a Government prepared to stand up for Britain.”
Lord Mackinlay, a former deputy leader of Ukip who is now a Conservative peer, said the PM’s background as an opponent of Brexit means it “does not require a rocket scientist to understand what is really behind the new negotiations”.
He said: “Sir Keir, as with many previous PMs, has been out-classed by the EU. It looks like our fisherman are again to be sacrificed…
“This is a full-on surrender deal that serves no purpose but is, as ever, good for the EU.”
The Liberal Democrats are pushing for “deep alignment” with the EU, arguing this could raise £25billion in extra tax revenues and avoid “savage” welfare cuts.
Gerard Lyons, of the Centre for Policy Studies, said: “Naturally, it makes sense for the UK to have a sensible relationship with the EU, and any agreement needs to be mutually beneficial and not tie the UK’s hands on future policy, domestically or globally… It is what we do with our own laws and policies, not rules from the EU, that will be key to growing our economy and improving life for British people.”
Maxwell Marlow of the Adam Smith Institute said: “While cooperation with the EU is important, Sir Keir Starmer must ensure that the UK is not locked into excessive alignment, particularly in areas like trade and regulation. The recent US trade deal — which would have been unthinkable without Brexit — demonstrates how an independent trade policy allows the UK to pursue a truly global approach.
“Instead of moving back toward Brussels, Starmer should prioritise practical cooperation in areas such as defence and illegal migration. Any renewed ties with Europe must not come at the expense of British sovereignty and a slow slide back into EU red tape.”
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