A senior Tory MP has sent Sir Keir Starmer a warning shot over his “betrayal” EU trade deal and told he cannot undo the fact 17.5 million people voted to leave Brussels.
Veteran MP Sir Bernard Jenkin warned the Prime Minister he will “pay a bitter political price for his betrayal” of the British people.
Jenkin told MPs in the House of Commons, “Can I just point out to the Prime Minister that nothing can undo the fact that 17.5 million people voted Leave, and they voted to take back control of our laws and to stop paying money to the EU.
“That was a considerably larger vote than the 9.7 million who voted Labour at the last election.
“Now, he is submitting to EU regulations without any control – and he is giving money, starting to pay money back, to the EU.
“He is giving up control over our laws and restoring payments to the EU. He will pay a bitter political price for this betrayal.”
Starmer replied, “He knows full well that we had a red line about not rejoining the EU, no single market, no customs union, no freedom of movement.
“We were told it was impossible to negotiate a better deal with the EU with those red lines. We have just done it.”
However, the Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said that Starmer’s EU trade deal should go further.
Sir Ed said, “We don’t think this deal goes far enough to fix our broken relationship with Europe,” Davey urged Starmer to create a bespoke customs union with Brussels.
“Does the PM accept that this deal must be only the first step?” he asked.
Starmer rejected his call saying it will “kill the UK’s trade deals with other countries.”
Starmer also said in the Commons the deals with India, the US and now the EU is a “clear message sent across the globe that Britain is back on the world stage.”
The Labour leader said, “The principles we took into the negotiations are clear and simple.
“Does it drive down bills? Does it drive up jobs? Does it strengthen our borders?
“And in each case, the answer is resoundingly ‘yes’.”
