Farage accused of wanting to 'take UK backwards' - as Brexit blamed for small boats crisis

Nigel Farage volition beryllium accused of wanting to "take Britain backwards" by vowing to scrap commercialized agreements betwixt the UK and EU, arsenic the authorities seeks a imperishable woody to chopped checks connected nutrient and drink.

The Reform leader wants to ditch the premier minister's Brexit reset package, unveiled earlier this year, which covers areas including fishing, defence, a younker acquisition scheme, and passport e-gates.

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It besides includes a impermanent woody to trim the reddish portion connected imports and exports of immoderate effect and veg, meaning nary borderline checks oregon fees are paid - and the authorities wants to marque it imperishable erstwhile it expires successful 2027.

The curate tasked by Sir Keir Starmer with improving UK-EU ties is Nick Thomas-Symonds, who volition usage a code aboriginal contiguous to accidental Mr Farage "wants Britain to fail".

Writing successful The Telegraph successful May, the arch-Brexiteer said Labour's woody takes the UK "back into the orbit of Brussels", and vowed a Reform authorities "would undo each of this legislation".

Speaking successful cardinal London, Mr Thomas-Symonds volition accidental undoing it would slash "at slightest £9bn from the economy, bringing with it a hazard to jobs and a hazard of nutrient prices going up".

The Cabinet Office curate volition impeach him of offering "easy answers, dividing communities and stoking anger".

A Reform UK spokesperson has dismissed the incoming criticism, claiming "no 1 has done much harm to British businesses than this Labour government", pointing to tax rises connected firms and the unemployment rate.

Nick Thomas-Symonds is connected Sky News Breakfast - ticker unrecorded from 7.15am.

'Farage's Brexit caused the tiny boats'

The Labour minister's disapproval volition travel a time aft Mr Farage revealed his arguable plans to halt tiny vessel crossings, vowing immoderate specified arrivals - including women and children - would beryllium detained and deported.

"If we bash that, the boats volition halt coming wrong days, due to the fact that determination volition beryllium nary inducement to wage a trafficker to get into this country," helium told a quality league connected Tuesday.

Reform would repeal the Human Rights Act and permission the European Convention connected Human Rights (ECHR), saying they person allowed overseas offenders to situation their ain deportations done the courts and stay successful the UK.

Labour dismissed the proposals arsenic "unworkable", portion the Tories said he'd stolen their ideas.

Liberal Democrat person Sir Ed Davey was much personal, suggesting Mr Farage himself was liable for the monolithic emergence successful tiny vessel crossings.

"The information is, it was Farage's Brexit that caused the tiny boats," Sir Ed said. "Before Brexit, we could nonstop backmost immoderate amerciable immigrants coming implicit successful a tiny boat."

Read more:
Why Farage's tiny boats program is not truly astir policy
How Farage's caller 'leave' run could enactment and interaction you

Did Brexit marque things harder?

Brexit ended UK information successful the alleged Dublin statement which governs EU-wide asylum claims. It means radical should beryllium processed for asylum successful the state astatine which they archetypal entered the bloc.

Sky News antecedently revealed however erstwhile migration curate Chris Philp, present shadiness location secretary, admitted it made returning amerciable immigrants harder.

But Britain's rank of the EU did not halt each asylum arrivals. And galore EU countries wherever radical archetypal arrive, including Italy, bash not use the Dublin rules.

Sir Ed said the authorities was present reduced to doing idiosyncratic deals with countries to tackle the issue.

Labour are banking connected a 1 in, retired woody with the French, which volition spot the UK nonstop asylum seekers to France successful speech for ones with links to the UK.