Guy Verhofstadt on Ukraine invasion and Brexit
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Guy Verhofstadt today claimed that making Brexit work is a “delusion” as he gloated about a secret summit to address the challenges of the UK’s departure from the EU. The Belgian MEP took to Twitter to call for Britain and Brussels to rethink their relationship.
Mr Verhofstadt, who was the European Parliament’s Brexit boss during the torturous UK-EU negotiations, said: “British politicians are far behind public opinion.
“Making Brexit work is a delusion.
“Time for pro-Europeans to put a roadmap for a different relationship on the table!”
The former Belgium prime minister’s comments come just weeks after he sensationally blamed Brexit for Vladimir Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.
The EU motormouth’s latest remarks are in response to reports of a cross-party conference last week on “making Brexit work better”.
The discussions, held last week at Ditchley Park country house in Oxfordshire, involved frontbench MPs from both the Tories and Labour, as well as diplomats, foreign policy experts and prominent business figures.
Senior Conservative Michael Gove – who was a key figure in the campaign for Brexit – took part in the meeting, as well as Labour’s David Lammy, who campaigned for Remain in the 2016 referendum.
Delegates were told there was now a view among “some at least, that so far the UK has not found its way forward outside the EU”.
But Brexiteers have raised concerns over the summit, which comes three years on from Britain’s exit from the bloc.
Tory MP Mark Francois, who is chairman of the powerful European Research Group, called on the organisers to remember the “meaning of democracy”.
He noted that “17.4 million UK citizens voted peacefully to Leave the EU”, saying their decision “needs to be respected.”
Conservative former minister Sir John Redwood added: “Instead of talking of sell-out at private conferences the UK establishment needs to complete Brexit and use its freedoms.”
Meanwhile, Brexit architect Nigel Farage said: “The full sell-out of Brexit is underway.”
And former Brexit minister Lord Frost told the Daily Mail: “This secret conference is a further piece of evidence that many in our political and business establishment want to unravel the deals we did to exit the EU in 2020 and to stay shadowing the EU instead.
“Brexit doesn’t need ‘fixing’. It needs this Conservative Government, elected with a huge mandate on a Brexit programme, to fully and enthusiastically embrace its advantages instead of leaving the field to those who never wanted it in the first place.”
Downing Street yesterday said the Prime Minister had not been aware in advance of the cross-party gathering at the Ditchley Park retreat in Oxfordshire last week.
But Rishi Sunak was forced to defend his Brexit credentials as the summit came amid fears he is about to cave to the EU on the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Mr Sunak said: “I was proud to vote for Brexit and now as Prime Minister I’m keen to make sure we deliver the benefits of it.”
But he declined to say whether or not he supported the summit, saying: “It is not about the meeting, I’m talking about what the Government is doing, and that’s making sure we capitalise on the benefits of Brexit.”
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