Leading Brexiteers warned of the risk of Labour squandering freedoms on the fifth anniversary of the EU exit. Politicians who backed hailed the opportunities made possible by exiting the bloc on January 31, 2020.
But they raised fears over the Prime Minister, who backed Remain and a second referendum, as he seeks a “reset” with Brussels.
Ex- minister Lord Frost said he was concerned because Sir was “one of the people who really tried to stop me concluding the negotiations that got us out”.
The Conservative peer said: “Of course now he’s in power and he’s trying to reset, as he puts it, the relationship.
“What he means by that is if he gets the chance he’s going to give away our fishing grounds again, make us take part in EU asylum, migration rules, he’s going to start aligning us with EU laws, he’s going to have some of our laws set in Brussels again.”
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Mark Francois, Priti Patel and Nigel Farage (Image: EXPRES)
‘s chief negotiator said the biggest benefit of was the UK becoming a “free governing country again”.
He said: “We set our own rules, we run ourselves like every other independent country in the world should and can. So that’s the best thing about it.”
He conceded there was more the could have done, but added: “We’ve set the right course as a free country that runs our own affairs and that is the great thing about .”
Reform UK leader said he could see the PM and Chancellor Rachel Reeves “dragging us closer and closer back towards the EU model”.
“I see us doing more on defence with Europe when I think Nato is more important. Talk just in the last week of aligning with single market rules.
“Of course it’s a concern but they wouldn’t be able to do it if the had deregulated and taken us away, so I blame them both really.”
Mark Francois, who chairs the European Research Group of Tory backbench Brexiteers, insisted that Sir Keir “remains a Remainer at heart”.
Mr Francois, who was one of the 28 “Spartan” Tory MPs who rejected Theresa May’s deal three times and went on to write the book Spartan Victory, said: “I sat in the Commons night after night, week after week, watching in action.
“I believe Starmer would take us back into the EU if he thought he could get away with it.”
Mr Francois highlighted successes including the vaccine rollout and Britain’s support for .
He added: “I just hope the new Labour government are going to use some of those freedoms that were hard won, for instance to try and get a major trade deal with the US.”
Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel warned that Labour does not have a “mandate” to reverse .
She said: “They’re already talking about youth mobility schemes and all sorts of other projects, even European defence projects as well. So that is a complete no no.”
Dame Priti urged Sir Keir to “stick with the course of and build upon our foundation in terms of making a success” by getting trade deals with the US and India over the line.
Senior Tory MP Andrew Rosindell described as “the best thing we’ve ever done”.
He said: “It means that our country is free to decide what’s best for Britain rather than be told what to do by Brussels.
“So our freedom is restored, it’s up to us, the British Parliament and our government, to make the most of it. And that’s where we’re going wrong.
“The Labour government is trying to quietly get us back in, the previous Conservative government didn’t seize the opportunities of . But the opportunities are there for the taking, we’ve just got to be bold and actually make use of those opportunities to benefit our country.”
It comes as the PM, who heads to Brussels on Monday for talks, has pledged a “reset” in relations.
But he has insisted he will not look to rejoin the single market or customs union.