Nigel Farage: Brexit has failed because of 'useless' Tory politicians
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Brexit has failed to live up to its potential because “useless” Tory politicians have “mismanaged” the UK’s exit from the European Union, Nigel Farage has said.
He pointed the finger of blame at the Conservatives for “driving business away from our country”, accusing them of being “as useless as the commissioners in Brussels”.
Downing Street rejected the claims, insisting Rishi Sunak viewed Brexit as a success.
It comes during a period of heightened tensions in the Tory Party over the UK’s future outside of the bloc, as the Government reneged on its pledge to complete the axing of 4,000 EU-era laws by the end of the year.
Speaking to BBC Newsnight in an interview broadcast on Monday night, Mr Farage said he did not think “for a moment” that the UK would have been better off in economic terms if it had stayed in the EU.
But he said: “What I do think is we haven’t actually benefited from Brexit economically when we could have done.
“What Brexit has proved, I’m afraid, is that our politicians are about as useless as the commissioners in Brussels were.
“We have mismanaged this totally and if you look at simple things, simple things such as takeovers, such as corporation tax, we are driving business away from our country.”
Mr Farage said the UK was now “arguably” back in control, regulating its own businesses “even more than they were as EU members”.
He started to say “Brexit has failed…”, when he was interrupted and asked if he intended to make a political comeback.
He replied: “Well, I wouldn’t rule it out. It is not at the top of my bucket list, but frankly we have not delivered on borders, we have not delivered on Brexit. The Tories have let us down very, very badly.”
Sir John Hayes, a senior Conservative, also warned that the “popular appetite” for change that delivered the Leave vote in 2016 and Mr Johnson’s electoral victory in 2019 had “only been partially sated”.
The chairman of the Common Sense Group told the National Conservatism conference on Tuesday: “In this country the electorate voted for fundamental change twice in recent years, first in the Brexit referendum in 2016 and again in the General Election in 2019.
“The fact this popular appetite has only been partially sated fuels frustration and feeds fury. We must appreciate the widening chasm between the people of Britain and the elite who profess to serve them.”
Asked on Tuesday if Mr Sunak agreed with Mr Farage, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “No. I think the Prime Minister has talked about the benefits of Brexit on a number of occasions.”
Pressed on whether Mr Sunak therefore believed Brexit had been a success, he said: “Yes. I highlighted some of the elements that will bring benefits to the public.
“Clearly we recognise that globally there are a number of challenges on things like inflation. The Covid pandemic, war in Europe, which are having different impacts across countries in Europe and beyond.
“And that is why the Prime Minister has set out his five priorities.”
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The pressure net migration levels put on housing supply cannot be ignored, Michael Gove has said as he insisted border control must be a benefit of Brexit, writes Dominic Penna.
Asked about projections net migration could reach one million, he said: "I don’t think it’ll reach those figures but you are right. If you’re looking at pressure on housing we need to look at it in the round.
"Britain’s always been a country that has benefited from people of talent arriving here... But the numbers recently have been at a level when there’s an inevitable level of pressure on housing and public services, just as has been the case with longevity.
"In a well-regulated, in a well-functioning housing market, you can’t ignore the pressure that comes with migration as well. We need to and this is a critical part of Brexit to be able to say this is the level of migration that as a country we believe is right. This is the level we set, these are the safe routes for people fleeing persecution, these are the points we allocate…
"Beyond that there is a limit. Every country in the world recognises that it needs to manage these flows, and managing these flows is a challenge for everybody."
Housing Secretary Michael Gove has admitted it is "increasingly difficult" to get on the property ladder, writes Dominic Penna.
Asked about "milestones" like buying a house and starting a family becoming more difficult, Mr Gove told the National Conservatism conference in Westminster this afternoon: "There is a big problem here, but I don't believe in trying to set generation against generation... There is a problem and the problem is there simply aren’t enough homes in this country, it is increasingly difficult to get on the property ladder."
He added: "We do need to think about supply, but we also need to think about how it is that we can help people, particularly younger people, in that increasingly competitive market to get the first time buyer support that they need. And that is something Rishi has explicitly asked me to look at."
Earlier, he said he and Rishi Sunak's approach was "one that is absolutely committed to more houses being built, but also to take into account other conservative values as well".
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