Attorney General to take aim at Brexit, saying EU withdrawal damaged Britain
Lord Richard Hermer will say the politicians who brought the country Brexit have left Labour “cleaning up their mess”.
The Attorney General, who is widely seen as one of the Prime Minister’s key allies in Government, will say the politicians who brought the country Brexit have left his Labour administration “cleaning up their mess”.
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The Attorney General will claim Brexit has "damaged" Britain in a speech attacking political rivals for walking away from the promises they made during the referendum. Lord Richard Hermer, the government's chief legal adviser, will claim the Brexit result has been damaging to Britain's economy and standing in the world.The Brexit row has been reignited after Labour leadership rival Wes Streeting said last month that leaving the bloc had had been a "catastrophic mistake" and called for the UK to rejoin.Mr Streeting's positioning has forced his rival Andy Burnham, who is contesting a by-election in the Leave voting constituency of Makerfield and previously backed rejoining the EU, to claim he would not push for Britain to re-enter the bloc. The Attorney General, who is widely seen as one of the Prime Minister’s key allies in Government, will say the politicians who brought the country Brexit have left his Labour administration “cleaning up their mess”.Read more: Swiss reject 10 million population cap in 'Brexit like' referendumRead more: Britons face up to 'six-hour waits' at airports due to post-Brexit EU border checks
In a speech at an event held by the European Movement advocacy group, he will say: “Strikingly, the politicians who were key proponents of Brexit, and major figures in the campaign to Leave, now appear reluctant to remind us of the promises that they made.“When was the last time you heard Nigel Farage proudly talk about Brexit? Or make the case for the benefits it’s brought Britain?“The reason he has become uncharacteristically quiet about what he used to describe as his crowning achievement is because he knows the damage it caused Britain, our standing in the world, and our economy.”A Conservative Party spokesman said: “Lord Hermer should focus on his job as Attorney General.”
Sir Keir Starmer has made closer ties with Brussels a key pillar of his latest “reset” in the wake of Labour’s devastating May local election losses.The UK and the EU are set to meet on 22 July for a summit where the two sides will discuss a stalled youth mobility scheme which would allow under-30s to work, travel or study in each other’s territory.The two sides have been gridlocked amid disagreements over tuition fees for EU students in England, UK calls for a cap on the numbers who can take part in the scheme and uncertainty over the willingness of European nations to issue visas for British youths.The date for the summit was announced as Sir Keir met the EU’s leaders in the margins of the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, where he said Britain would be at the “heart of Europe” under his reset plans.
Former health secretary Wes Streeting said last month that Britain must rejoin the European Union.He said that Labour risks becoming the “handmaidens of Nigel Farage and the breakup of the United Kingdom” and that the government had been too “timid” – and urged his party to admit Brexit was a “catastrophic” mistake, to confront racism “not explain it” and to fight tech giants.Mr Burnham said last autumn that he wanted the UK to rejoin the EU in his lifetime. However, following Mr Streeting's comments he said: “I am not proposing that the UK considers rejoining the EU. “I respect the decision that was made at the referendum and it’s going to undermine everything I’ve said about strengthening democracy if we don’t respect that vote.”
