Andrew Neil talks about the EU’s ‘get out of jail card’ in 2018
Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer languishes in the polls, even after Dominic Cummings’ explosive claims about the inner workings of Downing Street during the coronavirus pandemic. It’s a damning situation for the former head of the Public Ministry, who finds himself as the leader of a political party going through an existential crisis after his beating in the last general election was followed by defeat in the Hartlepool by-elections and a disappointing performance. in local elections as well. However, the idea of a Labor majority in Westminster is something that would “terrify” the EU, if Mr Neil’s earlier comments on the matter are of any use.
Addressing an audience at the Center for Independent Studies, he described how the EU made negotiations with the UK as difficult as possible to ensure that ‘no alternative economic model takes off 20 miles north of Calais, in the fifth largest economy. biggest in the world”.
He continued: “That terrifies them: that an alternative and potentially successful economic model could be so close to continental Europe.
“That’s why, again, they played so hard.”
In his 2018 speech, he added that EU leaders were concerned that two very different economic models would take hold in Britain.
Andrew Neil on why the EU is terrified of Labor’s victory (Image: GETTY)
Labor leader Keir Starmer (Image: GETTY)
One would see the country become a low-tax haven, while the other would be a more protectionist model championed by Jeremy Corbyn during his time as Labor leader.
And since Sir Keir has embraced many of Corbyn’s key political promises since he took office, the same fear is likely to apply today.
Mr. Neil continued: “It is interesting that they are concerned with two alternative models.
“The most common, you may have heard, is that we became West Singapore, we became a low-tax, low-regulation economy and doing well.
“They hate the idea of that.
But they are equally concerned that a Corbyn government could turn Britain into a kind of Eastern Cuba.
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Sir Keir with Jeremy Corbyn (Image: GETTY)
“And the reason they are concerned is because that would entail protection, massive state ownership and capital controls and state subsidies to the industry.
“That is not just the policy of the European left, it is the policy of the European extreme right.
“That is the policy of Madame Le Pen, that is the policy of the AfD, that is the policy of Mr. Salvini.
So they don’t want that to happen either.
Neil was speaking at a time when the far-right AfD party posed a serious threat to the leadership of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Matteo Salvini’s anti-EU rhetoric was striking a chord in Italy and Marine Le Pen remains the most powerful threat to the hopes of Emmanuel Macron. reelection in France today.
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Boris Johnson signed his Brexit deal on Christmas Eve (Image: GETTY)
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen (Image: GETTY)
The former editor of The Sunday Times also argued that the combination of Leave’s victory in the 2016 referendum and Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidency sparked fear in European capitals about what might happen next.
But he noted that Brussels was given a “get out of jail card”, only the leaders decided not to do anything about it.
He argued: “After Brexit in the summer of 2016 and the election of Trump, Europe feared that the populist wave that produced Brexit and Mr. Trump – both predicted that it would not happen by all experts and by all opinion polls – that Europe was in trouble.
“And yet, for a time it seemed that Europe was going to get a card to get out of jail.”
Boris Johnson con Ursula von der Leyen (Imagen: GETTY)
Neil then explained how European leaders relaxed after the re-election of Mark Rutte in the Netherlands and the landslide victory of Emmanuel Macron in France.
Mr. Neil is about to embark on his latest and perhaps most ambitious venture in the media world, as Chairman of GB News.
The news channel will launch on June 13, and Mr. Neil will host a late-night current affairs program.
The channel’s news director, John McAndrew, is a 25-year industry veteran who has worked for the BBC, Sky News, ITN and NBC.
As the launch approached, he said: “We can feel a real hunger for something new and different in the news and television debate.
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