Will today go down in history as the day Sir Keir Starmer betrayed Brexit and the British people?
No forgiving a Brexit betrayal
WILL today go down in history as the day Sir Keir Starmer betrayed Brexit and the British people?
From the moment he entered No10, or Remainiac Prime Minister — who spent years in Opposition trying to reverse the historic 2016 vote — has been hellbent on securing a so-called 'reset' with the EU.
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His approach to the negotiations with Brussels has been naive at best, and craven at worst.
Indeed, the message his public desperation sent to the hard-nosed Eurocrats was 'I want a deal at any price, so shaft me'.
The vengeful EU — which will never get over Brexit, and cannot stand the idea of us being a sovereign nation again — duly obliged.
Its list of demands, in return for a defence partnership, a sop on passport queues and the simple lifting of some spiteful checks on British food exports, would put a mafia extortionist to shame.
Through a series of snide anonymous briefings (the EU's tactic of choice for decades), we know it expects to agree the following at today's Lancaster House talks:
Britain to slavishly adhere to every pettifogging Brussels edict on standards, a straitjacket known as 'dynamic alignment' which would make trade deals with the rest of world far harder.
Subservience to the over-mighty, expansionist European Court of Justice.
Generous access to our fishing waters for mostly French vessels for ever more, undermining a core reason why millions voted Leave.
Bundles of cash to once again be paid into the EU's coffers for participation in its various programmes and schemes.
Most unbelievably, a 'youth mobility scheme' for anyone under 35 - yes, 35! - which would restore free movement by the back door, and give 80 MILLION EU citizens the chance to live and work here.
So much for getting a grip on runaway immigration.
And what has Sir Keir's response been to all of this?
He and his Chancellor have effectively said bring it on, and that this is just the start of a much deeper future partnership with the EU.
We remind them both of two things, before they sit down to formally ink this seemingly wretched surrender deal.
First, the best economic days of the EU are long behind it — look at the state of the German and French economies.
Britain should be looking to do ambitious trade deals beyond Europe — indeed the new partnership with India, and the recent easing of US tariffs were only possible because of Brexit.
Not tying our hands and alienating allies like Donald Trump.
And, second, the British people voted nine years ago to take back control of our money, borders and laws.
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