Nigel Farage has promised to fight Labour “all the way” as he accused the government of trying to backtrack on Brexit at a local election campaign launch in London.
The leader of Reform UK said Sir Keir Starmer’s recent diplomatic overtures towards the EU would “solve none of our economic problems” but would rather hand sovereignty to “unelected EU bureaucrats”.
Mr Farage also said that his party is ready to go to court next week to oppose Labour's efforts to postpone several local elections.
The prime minister told the BBC last week that he was interested in better access to the single market.
He said: “I think we should get closer, and if it's in our national interest to have even closer alignment with the single market, then we should consider that.
“If it's in our interest to do so, we should take that step.”
The comments were met with fierce criticism from the Reform leader, who warned that what he saw as Sir Keir’s efforts to undo Brexit would damage Britain and backfire on Labour at the elections.
Addressing a rally at the Excel centre in London, Mr Farage argued that the EU’s influence was declining on a world stage now dominated by Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.
Mr Farage accused Sir Keir of preparing for a “Brexit betrayal”, saying: “Bit by bit, he is taking away the ability, not just of parliament to make decisions, but of your rights as voters to decide who should take those decisions.
He went on, “And I promise you, we will fight this giveaway, this surrender of our sovereignty, of our money, of our fishing grounds and everything else. We'll fight it tooth and nail. We'll fight it all the way.”
He told the Mail: “Everything that's happening internationally proves the increasing irrelevance of the EU.
“Economically, much of it is doing even worse than we are and yet a failing Prime Minister is reverting to type and signing us up to closer union.
“It will solve none of our economic problems and once again take away power from British voters and hand it to unelected EU bureaucrats.”
