LABOUR will drag us back into the EU’s orbit, Brexit guru Lord David Frost has warned.
The former chief negotiator said Sir Keir Starmer will undo all their hard work and water down the deal.
Darren FletcherLord David Frost spoke to The Sun’s Harry Cole on Never Mind the Ballots[/caption]
Darren FletcherLord Frost led Brexit negotiations for Boris Johnson[/caption]
LNPHe claims Sir Keir Starmer will undo all their hard work[/caption]
He said Labour is “naive” and will bring the UK closer into the single market.
The Tory peer told The Sun’s Never Mind The Ballots: “We do have to face this prospect that Labour are going to water down the deal we got.
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“No doubt they’re going to try and get us closer into the single market even if there won’t be like a stroke of a pen that does the whole thing.
“And we are going back in the orbit of the EU.”
Lord Frost – who led Brexit negotiations for Boris Johnson – said he was worried the arrangement would be undone within months.
Sir Keir was facing tough questions today over Brexit after his shadow Chancellor called for a reset of the UK’s relationship with Brussels.
Rachel Reeves said she wants to revisit closer ties in sectors such as chemicals and for City of London workers.
However Sir Keir insisted under a Labour government the UK would not rejoin the single market, the EU customs union or reintroduce freedom of movement.
Labour’s leader told LBC: “As you probably know I voted Remain and campaigned for Remain but, as you know, we have left the EU and we are not rejoining.”
The comments appear to go further than previously aired on calling for improved trade terms.
Lord Frost added: “It’s totally naive. The starry eyed vision of Europe is making them think that just by being nice, they’re going to get a better deal. I think a lot of them do think that.
“And that is just not healthy.
“They’re in for quite a rude awakening when they turn up for the first time.”
He is the latest senior Tory to warn Labour will put Brexit in peril.
Ex-Trade Secretary Liam Fox said he fears the June 2016 decision to leave the EU could be at risk if the Tories aren’t re-elected next month.
Key moments of Brexit
2020
Jan 31 – Brexit day
Jan 29 – European Parliament ratifies the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement by 621 votes to 49
2019
Dec 20 – Boris Johnson’s deal goes before parliament
Dec 12 – Snap general election, Boris wins landslide
Oct 29 – MPs vote to hold to a general election on December 12
Oct 28 – Donald Tusk says EU has granted another “flextension” until January 31, 2020
Sept 24 – Supreme Court finds Boris Johnson’s five week suspension of Parliament broke the law
Sept 9 –MPs vote on a general election, Johnson’s suspension of Parliament and Bercow quits
Aug 28 – Queen approves suspension of Parliament for up to five weeks
July 23 – Boris Johnson is named the new PM
May 24 – Theresa May PM resigns
July 6 – Infamous “Chequers plan” is deeply unpopular with Tory big guns and sparks resignations
June 8 – General Election results in a hung Parliament, Tories win most seats
April 17 – PM calls for a General Election for June 8, 2017
March 29 – Article 50 is signed, setting a two-year exit from the EU in motion
2016
July 13 – Theresa May becomes the new PM
June 24 – David Cameron PM resigns
June 23 – Britain votes to leave the EU (51.9 per cent of the vote versus 48.1 per cent)
Meanwhile, Lord Frost also told The Sun the Tories are too scared to tackle migration for fear of “looking nasty”.
He also claimed they would be doing better under former PM Boris.
In a scathing post-mortem of Rishi Sunak’s leadership, the Tory peer said kicking Suella Braverman out and bringing in David Cameron effectively sealed the fate of the party.
He told The Sun’s Never Mind The Ballots that was the moment voters “lost confidence”.
The Tory peer – who resigned from Mr Johnson‘s Government – also insisted his former boss would be doing a much better job as PM had he not been ousted by MPs.
In a thinly-veiled attack against Mr Sunak, Lord Frost praised Mr Johnson for always knowing where “public opinion was” and where “the party had to position itself”.
His pre-election’s post-mortem comes as pollsters say the Tories are heading for “electoral extinction” – with Nigel Farage’s Reform also rising up the ranks.
Tories warn Labour will put ‘Brexit in peril’
By Ryan Sabey
SENIOR Tories have warned Labour will put “Brexit in peril” after Rachel Reeves called for a reset of the UK’s relationship with Brussels.
Ex-Trade Secretary Liam Fox fears the June 2016 decision to leave the EU could be at risk if the Tories aren’t re-elected next month.
His intervention came after the shadow Chancellor said she wants to revisit closer ties in sectors such as chemicals and for City of London workers.
The comments appear to go further than previously aired on calling for improved trade terms – despite both parties appearing reluctant to talk about Brexit during the campaign.
The former Cabinet Minister said: “Disgruntled Conservatives who vote Reform will put Brexit in peril if they result in a Labour government.
“Starmer and Reeves make no secret of wanting to bring UK under EU rules over which we would have no say. Is this really the change they want to bring about at this election?”
Lord Frost, who negotiated the UK’s Brexit deal, said: “You can’t trust Labour on Brexit.”
He added: “I’m happy to deepen ties with any friendly country, whether in the EU or not.
“I don’t want to be governed by them and I don’t want their laws and courts to have force in this country without us having a say. That’s what Labour want.”
But Ms Reeves told The Sun yesterday that the UK wouldn’t go back into the realms of the bloc’s regulations after the 2016 vote.
“The Labour government wouldn’t bring any of those things back. But do I believe the deal we got was the best deal available? I don’t.”
The senior Labour figure caused controversy after declaring she wants to cut bureaucracy in some industries after prices have gone through the roof.
She said closer alignment wouldn’t mean abiding by European Court of Justice decisions if closer ties in chemical and veterinary sectors took place.
Ms Reeves said: “If you look at New Zealand, they are not part of the ECJ but they have got a farming and fishing agreement – a veterinary agreement – with the EU. So I don’t want to take us back into those institutions.
“But I do want to make it easier for great British businesses to be able to export around the world.”
She added that she wants to make it easier for companies to benefit from major trade deals.