EU what?
SIR Keir Starmer is learning the hard way what was blindingly obvious to most of us:
The EU is inflexible, unreasonable — and still hellbent on taking revenge for the UK having the temerity to vote for Brexit in 2016.
AFPStarmer is learning the hard way that the EU is still hellbent on taking revenge for Brexit[/caption]
Remainiacs insist the EU is our “friend”. If this were true, it could make the PM’s so-called reset simple.
A defence pact recognising our shared desire to stand by Ukraine and protect Europe from more Russian aggression. Plus the easing of vindictive checks on UK exports, in return for us voluntarily agreeing to maintain high food standards.
Instead, Sir Keir is facing an ever-lengthening list of demands that would actively harm our national interest and mean the return of free movement in all but name.
A ludicrously titled “youth” mobility scheme for anybody under 35 . . . access to our fishing waters for ever . . . a slavish adherence to every petty EU rule . . . subservience to the European Court of Justice . . . cheaper tuition fees for EU students . . .
It’s a list that would put an extortionist to shame, and make it near impossible to sign trade deals with the rest of the world.
But the EU thinks it is being the reasonable one in the current talks.
“We are all unhappy with missing progress, especially on youth mobility,” one anonymous diplomat sniffs to the in-house magazine for Eurocrats, the Financial Times.
Sir Keir has two choices when he sits down at next week’s reset summit:
Tell the Europeans to get stuffed unless they are willing to treat us with even a basic level of respect and fairness.
Or sell his country and the 17.4million people who voted for Brexit down the river.
Rwandaful idea
IN opposition, Labour dismissed the Tories’ Rwanda scheme as a “gimmick” and scrapped it within hours of winning power.
But after an upsurge in support for Nigel Farage’s Reform party, it’s wake-up time. Once, Sir Keir thought tough immigration rules were racist. Now they’re all the rage.
Following on from Monday’s “island of strangers” speech, the PM yesterday unveiled a plan to send failed asylum- seekers to “return hubs” in the Balkans.
It’s not of itself a bad idea. And it might provide at least some deterrent to migrants thinking of crossing the Channel by dinghy, en route to a taxpayer-funded hotel.
But — and it’s a big but — it will only target those who have exhausted the appeals process. And, with 80 per cent of claims ultimately granted by our shambolic system, there are plenty who will still fancy their chances.
We look forward to the day Labour admits it was a giant mistake to scrap the much tougher Rwanda plan.
And asks the government in Kigali if it still has room in its hotels.
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