A Remainers Brexit?

When Boris pushed for a large majority at the end of 2019, he told us all he had an “oven ready” deal to get Brexit done. What he really meant was that he had picked up Theresa May’s deal, made imperceptible changes to it and claimed it as his own.

The words "oven ready deal" should have been red flags in and of themselves. Much like "oven ready" meals, it's shoddy, tasteless, it was cooked quicky, put together as cheaply as possible, offers no flavoursome substance and not done right leaves us with a 50/50 chance of needing an emergency colonoscopy.

Yesterday, David Davis sparked a furore when he indicated that Brexit was yet to show any benefits as it was a Remainers’ version of it. What we really have is a lazy Tory Brexit. They own it! No one else.

The removal of a trade barrier between different parts of the United Kingdom is important enough. The ability to supply Northern Ireland with what it needs is certainly reason enough to look again at the half-baked measures put in place via Theresa May’s deal.

But one further, truly vital aspect is often missed by the press. The UK economy is being crucified by inflation, which in turn is backed up by the huge tax load. A general reduction of VAT, an EU inspired tax on business, could cool this, yet for as long as the NI protocol exists, it is not possible to reduce the 20% rate as the province remains part of the EU single market.

So, Davis was accurate, despite not being at his most eloquent. For as long as Northern Ireland remains (the clue is in the word) within the EU’s protectionist borders, this truly is a Remainers Brexit.

It’s often been said that Boris has never been a true supporter of Brexit, despite painting himself as the poster boy for the campaign – remember him taking days to decide which side he was going to take? But once he made that decision, he should have stuck to one side or the other. As my father often said, “People who walk down the middle of the road get run over.”

Martin Day – Party Secretary