NEXT Tuesday marks the tenth anniversary of one of the greatest democratic exercises in this country’s proud history.
On June 23, 2016, the British people voted decisively to cast off the EU’s shackles and once again make our own way on the international stage — a vaulting display of confidence, ambition and intent.
Remainers might not want to accept it, but the EU is no longer (if it ever was) an economic racehorse – it’s more like a donkey complacently idling on the beach at Blackpool
Brits celebrate Brexit Day in London – but Labour leadership hopefuls are pushing the idea of rejoining the bloc Credit: Getty Images – Getty
Sadly, political timidity and incompetence means the enormous economic and social opportunities offered by have never been properly seized.
And as Labour’s leadership rivals jostle to replace hapless , they are wooing party activists by openly promising to reverse the referendum result.
Now , the former EU chief whose booze-laced arrogance did so much to drive Britain towards the exit, has stumbled off his barstool to give us his two penn’orth.
In a typically arrogant intervention, he said that if Britain ever did want to rejoin, we would be obliged to sign up to the hated euro, forget any rebate and once again become an EU rule-taker.
In a typically arrogant intervention, Jean-Claude Juncker, the former EU chief, said if Britain did want to rejoin, we would be obliged to sign up to the hated euro, forget any rebate and once again become an EU rule-taker Credit: Alamy Live News
Labour leadership contender Wes Streeting has called Brexit a ‘catastrophic mistake’ Credit: AFP
And he sneered: “Given the marvellous result of Brexit, I don’t think that anyone is inspired by this move.”
He went on to suggests our would also count against us.
“I don’t think [rejoining] is possible. Because all of us — we are wounded to some extent by this . . . historic step the British have taken,” Juncker told the FT.
“A majority of European governments would cold-shoulder this, because the British are very close to the US, whereas the US is not very popular for the time being inside the .”
Even if rejoining did not involve eye-watering terms, there are countless reasons why we would be mad to EVER betray the 2016 vote and go back in. Here are just some:
THE ECONOMY
Since the Brexit referendum, the UK economy has grown faster than Germany, France and Italy
Fanatical Remainers might have convinced themselves that our economic doldrums are solely down to Brexit.
That only by wholeheartedly embracing their beloved EU and its single market can we escape our current low-growth trajectory. They couldn’t be more wrong.
Since the Brexit referendum, the has grown faster than Germany, France and Italy, which all remain in the sclerotic bloc. Experts at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development also say that UK growth over the past year was 1.1 per cent — hardly spectacular, but easily outpacing the Eurozone’s 0.3 per cent.
And despite the scaremongering over the effects of Brexit on trade, our total global exports outstrip all but one nation, including traditional powerhouse Germany.
Inside the EU’s customs union protection racket, we would have to tear up the lucrative trade deals we have negotiated with some of the world’s most dynamic emerging economies.
The truth is, our higher , higher interest rates and dire fiscal position are overwhelmingly the fault of Labour’s calamitous tax, borrow and spend economic policies.
Remainers might not want to accept it, but the EU is no longer (if it ever was) an economic racehorse.
It’s more like a donkey complacently idling on the beach at .
IMMIGRATION
Mass immigration has placed unsustainable pressure on services, undercut wages and damaged social cohesion, signing up to EU freedom of movement again would only make matters worse Credit: Getty
Millions voted for Brexit because it promised the chance to control our borders and finally end the scandal of mass . Instead, the Tories betrayed their trust and fuelled anger by allowing net migration to surge to a scandalous 1.8million in 2022 and 2023.
This has placed unsustainable pressure on public services, frayed social cohesion, undercut wages and contributed to a wave of heinous crimes committed by foreigners.
Do Labour really think the public wants to make things worse by signing up to EU rules on freedom of movement?
Spain’s socialist government recently gave amnesty to 500,000 illegal migrants — substantially from Africa and the Middle East. The EU is also facing a fresh surge of immigrants.
With Britain a land of milk and honey when it comes to , how many would relish the opportunity to legally move here? No wonder the EU is so keen.
Several large EU countries have huge levels of youth unemployment. Large numbers would love to come here.
But how would this help out-of-control migration? Our leaders promised to raise the drawbridge — not open the floodgates.
MONEY
Rejoining the EU would cost the UK an estimated £19bn a year and losing the rebate famously secured by Margaret Thatcher, with taxpayers left funding failing economies across Europe Credit: Getty
Even acknowledge that the UK is desperately strapped for cash.
Yet if we skulked back to Brussels, we’d be paying a crippling estimated annual £19billion bill for the privilege — a large chunk funnelled into the salaries of faceless, unelected Eurocrats. We could forget about getting back our budget rebate, famously won by Margaret Thatcher.
As net contributors to the EU coffers, we’d again effectively fund the economies of Ireland, Romania and others.
That would build roads, leisure centres and hospitals all over Europe — with few in our own country, for our own citizens.
TECH
In a devastating report, ex-EU chief Mario Draghi warned restrictive red tape, which Brit firms would have to adhere to, was causing the EU economic ‘agony’ Credit: Reuters
By exploiting its Brexit freedoms to excel in the embryonic industries of the future, the UK could power economic growth.
We already have some of the world’s most cutting-edge firms including in artificial intelligence, financial services, satellites and gene-edited crops, which promise to bring about an agricultural revolution.
But rejoining the EU would put all that innovation at risk of being squashed by heavy-handed Brussels regulations that we’d be compelled to sign up to.
In a devastating report, ex-EU chief Mario Draghi warned restrictive red tape was causing the EU economic “agony”.
Subjecting our top firms to that would be an act of egregious self-harm.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Brexit allowed the UK to pursue a more independent foreign policy, pointing to Britain’s leading role in supporting Ukraine as an example of the freedom to act decisively outside the EU Credit: AFP
likes nothing more than to portray himself as a statesman of real substance on the world stage. But it is only thanks to Brexit that the UK has had a genuinely independent foreign policy.
Take the war in , where Britain has led Europe in stiffening the continent’s resistance to ’s .
That would have been almost impossible within the EU. The 27 member states’ primary response to any global crisis is to squabble among themselves.
Instead of being able to act decisively, we’d have to sit impotently with them.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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