Keir Starmer refuses to mark Brexit anniversary before Scholz meeting

Kemi Badenoch has dismissed Reform UK as a “protest party” as prepares to hold a rally in her constituency tonight.

The Conservative leader told broadcasters she was “not at all” worried about Reform’s presence in her North West Essex constituency, adding that talking about Labour’s farming policy was “much more important than having a rally about myself”.

The rally, which is expected to see speeches from all five of Reform’s MPs, follows a spat between Mrs Badenoch and Mr Farage over party membership figures during the Christmas period.

Our reporter Katie Harris has rounded up key moments over the last five years.

Watch the video here:

The Express has spoken to MPs and peers ahead of ‘s fifth anniversary.

Watch the video here:

Downing Street has said the Government is “very much looking forwards” when asked why the Prime Minister had not said anything specific to mark the half-decade anniversary of .

A Number 10 spokesman said: “We know we can do better to make work for the British people, that it’s in the UK’s national interest to have a more co-operative relationship with the EU.

“They’re our largest trading partner and our closest neighbour, and will be vital in helping us to tackle ongoing threats to our security, and that’s why we’re working together with the EU to strengthen our partnership.”

Sir will host the German Chancellor this weekend.

Olaf Scholz will visit the UK to meet the Prime Minister on Sunday, Downing Street confirmed.

The visit comes before Germany’s election on February 23.

Sadiq Khan has been roundly mocked after making a pro-EU statement on the five year anniversary.

Taking to X, the London Mayor said: “Five years on from , London remains a European city, where European Londoners are valued and cherished. You are our neighbours, colleagues, friends and loved ones. Thank you for making London your home. You are wanted here—and always will be.”

He was instantly inundated with unimpressed replies, with former Party spokesman Gawain Towler pointing out: “Of course it is a European City, that is a function of tectonics. What it isn’t is a city, that is a function of our vote to leave.”

“All are welcome to visit, legally, those not here legally are not welcome.”

Julia Hartley-Brewer said: “Who suggested they weren’t? Maybe you should organise some taxpayer-funded fireworks to tell them that too”

Former Tory MP Nigel Adams quipped: ” Derangement Syndrome still alive and well. Happy Day Sadiq.”

The Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru has said Wales should “send Farage the bill” for .

Leader Rhun ap Lorwerth: “The decision to exit the EU implemented five years ago has had a devastating impact on the Welsh economy.”

“The lies at the heart of the Leave campaign have left our communities millions worse off. Wales should send Farage the bill for .

“The irony of the millionaire city Trader railing against the so-called European elite will not be lost on people. Reform have absolutely nothing to offer Wales at the next election. Farage told us that he was against membership of the EU but he never told us it would make Wales poorer.

“This is a cautionary tale ahead of the Senedd Elections next year where Mr. Farage will sell us a pipe dream that, like , will turn out to be an economic nightmare.

“Meanwhile, Plaid Cymru is focused on putting forward ideas to strengthen our economy and to protect businesses and producers.

“Rejoining the Single Market and Customs Union is just common sense. 41% of all UK exports and 52% of all UK imports were with the EU in 2023 with the average UK resident nearly £2,000 worse off in the same year as a result of . As the UK Labour government’s growth agenda misfires and with the Chancellor crowd-sourcing ideas to boost the economy, it’s incredible that Rachel Reeves is unwilling to countenance the most obvious – membership of the single market.

“Our European Alignment Act would enshrine EU standards in Welsh law, particularly in areas such as environmental protection and consumer rights where people have been worse off since .”

Tory grandee and former MP John Redwood has taken to X to highlight one of the biggest benefits gained by .

Sir John posted: “Five years on from we are at last saving the £12 bn a year of our net contributions”.

“More importantly we are not being burdened with a share of the interest and debt repayments on the Euro 800 bn of new EU borrowing.”

While Brexiteers were celebrating their well-deserved victories, Remainers struck a sombre note as they gathered outside the EU embassy in Westminster for a candlelight vigil.

Keen to share the happy moment with the Remainers, Brexiteers on the opposite side of the street sang Jerusalem at them.

Downing Street projected a countdown and light show onto the building to celebrate , rewatch the moment Britain left below:

While crowds of pro- supporters gathered in Parliament Square to listen to speeches by and others, the official Vote Leave campaign were enjoying a quieter, less raucus night in Downing Street.

rang in the 11pm deadline by bonging a tiny gong, which he managed to knock over after a couple of dings.

This was a reference to the fact Big Ben was undergoing repairs at the time so couldn’t ring in the new era. Brexiteers had launched a campaign to ‘bung a bob for a Big Ben bong’, which despite raising over £200,000 failed to secure the bell’s tolling.

Dominic Cummings made a short speech after , though was so overcome with emotion that he only managed to say: “Lots of people in this room know what happened. Thank you.”

In true Boris-style farce, the No10 TV broke down while they were watching a live stream of the events.

A Union Jack light show was beamed onto Downing Street in lieu of the Big Ben Bongs.

Labour minister Mary Creagh has broken ranks to criticise .

Ms Creagh, a vocal campaigner for a second referendum, said: “Immigration up. Growth down. Food, agriculture & fishing sectors worst hit.”

Reform UK and champion has shared his interview with the Express this morning, adding ” has not been properly delivered.”

Top Brexiteer Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg has insisted ” still gives hope for the future.”He adds: “Legitimacy rests with the nation-state and its people, and that was restored in the United Kingdom by . Membership of the denuded the nation-state of power and transferred it to an international block.

“It changed the basis of our Constitution and took away the oversight of the British people, through the King in Parliament, of all our laws.

“As long as we remained part of the EU, voting became less important and the differing parties inevitably came closer together, as their room for manoeuvre was limited. “Most important decisions were taken in Brussels, not in Westminster.”

Lord Frost has made an impassioned case for this morning, reminding people of life under the EU.He said: “The endless rowing about the British abatement and our budget contribution?

“The summit meetings with beleaguered Britain in a minority of one?

“The effort to knock Giscard d’Estaing’s scary European Constitution into shape? The fishing conflicts.

“The beef wars. The endless defeats at the .

“The constant struggle to stay out of the euro and then not to get suckered into bailing it out again when it went wrong, as it will again. (Remember, we even lent the Irish £3.5 billion in 2010 to help them out – and precious little thanks we got for it from Ireland’s inward-looking and graceless political class.)

“And finally, the disdain and contempt with which David Cameron was treated in his trivial renegotiation for even daring to ask for things that might make all this a bit better in future. “Oh, and the six million (it turned out) EU migrants.”

Watch our video featuring the biggest moments from the fight for on the fifth anniversary.

The Express became the first national paper to call for Britain to exit the bloc with a historic front page on November 25 2010.

It declared: “From this day forth our energies will be directed to furthering the cause of those who believe Britain is Better Off Out.”

The campaign secured a victory in 2013 when then-PM David Cameron promised a referendum on EU membership.

Britons went on to vote by 52% to 48% in favour of leaving the Brussels bloc in the 2016 referendum.

In one of his most famous speeches in the European Parliament days later, a rowdy was jeered by MEPs as he said: “You all laughed at me. Well I have to say you’re not laughing now, are you?”

Reform UK Deputy Leader shares a video of a “small party for 100,000 friends” in Parliament Square.

It captures the delight as Britain finally left the .

The have celebrated the anniversary, with shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel saying it marked five years since her party “honoured the democratic will of the British people and got done”.

She said: “Since then, our country has reaped the benefits – securing new trade deals with dynamic, fast-growing markets across the world and reclaiming sovereignty from Brussels.”

Dame Priti went on to warn that Labour, “driven by socialist ideology and blind to the will of the people”, was “determined to dismantle and drag us back into the EU’s grasp” and vowed not to “allow this betrayal to happen”.

Since coming to power, Labour has sought a “reset” in relations with the EU, but has consistently ruled out a return to either the customs union or the single market.

The historic decision to leave the triggered huge celebrations accross the country.

Thousands gathered outside Parliament to mark the historic occasion, while others held parties and danced through the night.

The Express’s Senior Political Correspondent, Katie Harris, went to Clacton-on-Sea in Essex to speak to the town’s residents about the historic vote five years on.

‘s constituency recorded one of the highest leave votes in the country with almost 70% opting to split from Brussels.

John Button, 95, expressed fears that the UK is being dragged back into the EU’s orbit.

said: “There seems to be a move to bring us back in by stealth which I’m against. I’m very strongly for .”

He said he would vote for again and that the biggest win was the “sense of pride” in the country.

John Ramsey, 68, Holland-on-Sea, voted to leave but said “nothing seems to have changed” and that immigration “seems to have got worse”.

On if he would vote the same way again, he added: “Yes because in the end I think we’re better on our own.”

The 68-year-old added that he had “a lot” of concerns about Prime Minister Sir , saying: “He’s terrible, he’ll just want to give the country away.”

For more from Clacton-on-Sea, click

has vowed to deliver the 17.9million people voted for if he becomes Prime Minister.

The Reform UK leader said the country needs a government that believes in being outside the EU so its full potential can truly be unleashed.

You can watch the full message to Daily Express readers