Brexit fury has exploded after the UK was accused of “selling out” to the European Union with Rishi Sunak “taking the knee” to Brussels over the hated deal. Britain officially left the EU on January 31, 2020 but three years later, Brexiteers are furious at what they perceive as the UK Government taking a far too soft approach to negotiations with Brussels. The UK still remains tied to several EU laws while the Northern Ireland Protocol – arguably the biggest issue between the two sides – still remains unresolved despite a year of negotiations.
Ben Habib, the former Brexit Party MEP and ardent critic of the Protocol, has lashed out at UK negotiators for being “far too lenient with the EU”.
He told Express.co.uk: “We have already sold out to the EU but now they are just taking us closer and closer. We have never got Brexit and now they are just going to take us back in.
“The UK has been far too lenient with the EU. What our Government doesn’t recognise is that international trade is a competitive endeavour.
“It’s not a ‘let’s all cuddle each other and get on fantastically well’. It is competitive and you are out there fighting for British interests.
“You have to break eggs to make an omelette and we have been far too timid in our approach to the EU.”
Mr Habib claimed the 17.4million people who voted for Brexit during the historic referendum in June 2016 “have been betrayed by this Government again and again and again”.
The former MEP also launched a furious attack against Prime Minister Mr Sunak, who he claimed is “busy taking the knee to the EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol”.
He continued: “We’re still endearing so much to the EU. Northern Ireland hasn’t left, we still haven’t reclaimed our fishing waters. The UK Government has thrown the fishing industry under the bus.
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Multiple sources close to the matter have reported a flurry of activity” around the talks between the two sides.
Mr Sunak is expected to meet EU leaders over the weekend at the Munich Security Conference, where European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is also set to be in attendance.
That could see the pair discuss the negotiations on the sidelines, before the UK and EU finally unveil an agreement, that could happen early next week.
But despite growing speculation around this, Downing Street has continued to insist a deal has not been finalised.
UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris and European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic spoke about the Protocol last Friday.
Mr Cleverly tweeted: “Just spoken to @marossefcovic again with @chhcalling. I reiterated our determination to find solutions to the full range of challenges on the NI Protocol, working together with the EU.
“We will speak again soon. Teams continue to work hard on finding a way forward.”
Following the talks, Mr Sefcovic tweeted: “Held a productive video call with Foreign Secretary @JamesCleverly and NI Secretary @chhcalling.
“We took stock of our ongoing work on the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland. Our objective is clear – joint solutions to practical concerns in NI. Hard work but time well invested.”
