Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has insisted Brexit has been a success for Britain, as he challenged Andy Burnham over the Prime Minister’s push to reopen the debate on EU free movement.
Farage said leaving the European Union had restored Britain’s independence and democratic rights – but admitted that successive governments had failed to use their new powers to bring down immigration.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Farage said: “Brexit got back the independence, self-government and democratic rights of this country.
“It has been a success. We stand taller in the world.”
He argued that dire predictions about the impact of Brexit had failed to materialise, pointing to Britain’s financial sector, growth, services exports and trade deals.
Farage said leaving the European Union had restored Britain’s independence and democratic rights – but admitted that successive governments had failed to use their new powers to bring down immigration.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Farage said: “Brexit got back the independence, self-government and democratic rights of this country.
“It has been a success. We stand taller in the world.”
He argued that dire predictions about the impact of Brexit had failed to materialise, pointing to Britain’s financial sector, growth, services exports and trade deals.
Brexit has been a success
But Farage said the next question was what Britain should do with its post-Brexit freedoms – and that too little had been done since the vote.
“Brexit has failed in the eyes of many voters who voted Leave to get lower immigration into Britain”, he said. “That has been a disaster.”
He blamed the Conservatives for failing to deliver the immigration controls that many Leave voters had expected.
“Brexit would never have carried the line if it hadn’t been for free movement, had it not been for the exploding population, had it not been for wage compression”, he said.
“And what did the Conservatives do once they had the power back to deal with it? They extended free movement to the rest of the world! So yes, in the eyes of many, the delivery of Brexit has been a failure.”
“Brexit has failed in the eyes of many voters who voted Leave to get lower immigration into Britain”, he said. “That has been a disaster.”
He blamed the Conservatives for failing to deliver the immigration controls that many Leave voters had expected.
“Brexit would never have carried the line if it hadn’t been for free movement, had it not been for the exploding population, had it not been for wage compression”, he said.
“And what did the Conservatives do once they had the power back to deal with it? They extended free movement to the rest of the world! So yes, in the eyes of many, the delivery of Brexit has been a failure.”
Farage said Britain must now use its post-Brexit powers to get a proper grip on immigration, as he accused Burnham of misleading the public about the country’s ability to control its borders.
“Where this Prime Minister is misleading everybody is he’s saying we have less control over immigration now than we had as members of the European Union and that is just not true”, he said.
“And if he wants to have this fight on those terms I am ready for it.”
The Reform leader also accused Burnham of reopening the Brexit debate without a mandate, pointing to assurances given to voters in his Leave-voting constituency of Makerfield.
“Five months ago, Andy Burnham told Leave-voting Makerfield: ‘I’m not going to reopen these arguments’”, Farage said.
He added: “This Prime Minister has no mandate and to hear that his officials are negotiating in Brussels already is really very, very poor indeed.”
“Where this Prime Minister is misleading everybody is he’s saying we have less control over immigration now than we had as members of the European Union and that is just not true”, he said.
“And if he wants to have this fight on those terms I am ready for it.”
The Reform leader also accused Burnham of reopening the Brexit debate without a mandate, pointing to assurances given to voters in his Leave-voting constituency of Makerfield.
“Five months ago, Andy Burnham told Leave-voting Makerfield: ‘I’m not going to reopen these arguments’”, Farage said.
He added: “This Prime Minister has no mandate and to hear that his officials are negotiating in Brussels already is really very, very poor indeed.”
