August 28th, 2020
Dear Friends and Supporters
August has continued to be a quiet month in Westminster with MPs due to finally return to work next week. The key Brexit news so far has been the 7th round of the trade negotiations with the EU which concluded last week. Unsurprisingly, despite the comments from both sides that a Deal is still possible, absolutely zero progress has been made – and last week the EU’s Chief Brexit Negotiator, Michel Barnier, even said he believed they had gone backwards.
It seems Michel Barnier has been stuck on repeat for the last 6 months. No progress has been made; no agreement on significant issues; and no cooperation. So, it seems we’re headed for ‘No Deal’, but not without efforts by our negotiating team. We know our Chief Brexit Negotiator, David Frost, presented a confidential draft legal text for a trade agreement to Barnier last week, relating to issues which were supposedly already agreed by both sides. Unsurprisingly, he rejected this outright!
This document has not been released to the public – as has been usual with documents like this before - even though several representatives from other EU Member States have asked to view it. Barnier insisted it was for his eyes only.
Why the secrecy from Barnier and Frost? What compromises are in the UK’s proposal which we are unable to see?
We at Get Britain Out believe the Government should be more transparent with the Great British Public about the communications regarding Brexit – especially since we’re cruising toward a ‘No Deal’ exit, and this document should be openly released. Voters must be kept informed to allow them time to prepare for a potential World Trade Organization exit.
One thing is certain as we approach the final stretch of the Brexit negotiations, we must hold our nerve. We must not repeat the mistakes of the past by rushing through yet another bad deal. Any agreement must match up to the promises made by The Conservatives at the last election and if such a deal is not available then walking away is the only option. As I explained in an article for Comment Central, which can be read in the links at the end of this bulletin, if we try to squeeze a deal over the line in just a few months, it will not get the scrutiny it needs and we will end up with a Bad Deal.
Before I continue - and this request is still really important if we are to continue our fight – especially now, as we are hopefully nearing the end of this struggle. Get Britain Out is very appreciative of the donations we have received so far, but even now, they have been reducing. There is still lots of work to be done and we urgently need your help for these last remaining months. We need a real Brexit instead of a Brexit In Name Only (BRINO) – and a GOOD trade deal if possible, or we must not be afraid of LEAVING the EU on WTO Terms!
For as long as we are here, Get Britain Out will keep trying to get the Government’s attention - and winning victories for Brexiteers.
I do understand not all of you cannot afford to donate, but if we fail to keep up the pressure on this Government, we may find ourselves tied to the EU indefinitely - or with BRINO! Thank you.
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We are now awaiting the next round of negotiations set to take place the week commencing September 7th. In this round, there can be no doubt in the UK negotiators’ minds. They should have a clear set of priorities which cannot be compromised on.
For clarity, Get Britain Out has identified 5 key areas of negotiation which must be our top priority: Download the PDF here.
For far too long the UK has just rolled over in these negotiations – and others with the EU – and Barnier has become so accustomed to getting his own way for the past 4 years – especially when the ‘Remainer’ Theresa May was Prime Minister. Then, all that was being negotiated was BRINO - as May seemed to deny - as I discovered for myself when I had a long discussion with her at a local meeting. Frankly, she did not even seem to be in full control of her brief when I challenged her! So Boris Johnson and David Frost’s determination to have a real Brexit or No Deal, must have come as a surprise to the EU. It must be very frustrating for Barnier now we have begun to stand our ground – and are hopefully prepared to walk away if necessary.
Signs of his frustration are showing. It has been reported this week, Barnier has cancelled a face to face meeting in London with Frost, replacing the meeting with a phone call. We will see. Phone calls were clearly ineffective over the Summer, so why would he want to revert back to them at this crucial time?! He is behaving like a spoilt child, throwing his toys out of the pram when he isn’t getting his own way.
Just for a laugh – it has been confirmed Barnier will be paid to write a book about his experiences in the Brexit negotiations – apparently, he has been keeping a detailed diary for the last 4 years. Perhaps if he had been spending more time dealing with the UK negotiators rather than signing book deals and writing diary entries, we might be closer to a Deal! Barnier is already compensated over £210,000 a year, plus expenses - which, by the way, is partly funded by UK taxpayers!
The disinterest in actually discussing Brexit appears to be spreading across the EU. Germany - which now holds the Presidency of the European Council – has even taken Brexit off the agenda for a meeting of EU Ambassadors on September 2nd. They claim this is because of a lack of progress. Surely if progress is slow, this is a perfect time for new impetus. My suggestions would be for the European Council to meet and remove Michel Barnier from his position – or stop the negotiations completely, so we can stop wasting taxpayer’s money and get on with our global future, as clearly our intent to agree a good Deal is not being reciprocated.
My guess is the Federal EU project will collapse in the near future, along with the Euro. Thank goodness we are cutting the shackles which have been tying us to the EU for so long.
To chase this up, I have written to members of the European Research Group (ERG) this week. I have urged them to maintain the pressure on the Government to keep ‘No Deal’ on the table and ensure the threat to walk away from the negotiations isn’t an empty one. You can read the letter here.
Quite a few MPs have responded positively to my request and have promised to fight for Brexit and uphold the commitments they have made to the Great British Public. This is very welcome news and it is good to know there are still a number of MPs who are actively working with the Government to ensure the concerns of Brexiteers are relayed to the Prime Minister.
Finally, news has emerged the Department for International Trade has set up 11 Trade Advisory Groups on key topics, with their membership made up of leading industry experts. This is great news, but bearing in mind we voted to Leave the EU over 4 years ago, why have these only just been created? Supposedly, we’ve been planning trade deals since we left the EU, so these groups should have been established years ago and perhaps we might have been further down the track on trade deals around the world, as well as those with the EU. Better still, if these experts had been on board, we might have been spared the dreadful negotiating of the ‘Remainer-in-Chief’, Sir ‘Oilly’ Robbins.
With only a few months to go, we seem to be going down to the wire again. We’ve seen the Government get to this point before and rush to reach a Deal or surrender to the EU in prior negotiations. There are only a very few outspoken critics or pressure groups left to hold the Government to account. Get Britain Out is one of the last guardians of a real Brexit – we will continue to fight for the interests of the British people, with your support.
WHAT WE HAVE BEEN UP TO:
- Read our recent letter to members of the European Research Group (ERG) here.
- Get a downloadable version of our negotiating priorities graphic here.
The Director of Get Britain Out, Jayne Adye, has written the following recent articles:
IMPORTANT STORIES YOU MAY LIKE TO SEE:
- The EU’s ‘level playing field’ is a con trick – Briefings for Britain
- Labour MP brands Brexit voters ‘fat old racists’ – The Spectator
- Germany ‘ditches plan for EU Brexit talks’ amid concern over lack of progress – PoliticsHome
- Ex-Australian PM, Tony Abbott, is to be unveiled as the new Joint-President of the Board of Trade – The Sun
- UK-Japan trade deal to be completed by next week – CityA.M.
- BBC can be the nation's voice after Brexit, says Director-General – The Daily Telegraph
- If you support CANZUK, you must support the D10 – An alliance of Democracies – ConservativeHome
- The risk of a ‘No-Deal’ Brexit is rising, and that’s no bad thing – The Financial Times
- Michael Gove is 'working round the clock' to prepare Britain for a ‘No Deal’ Brexit – The Daily Mail
- It would be a betrayal to let our fishing industry slip through the net – The Daily Telegraph
- Get ready for ‘No-Deal’ Brexit! Barnier to pull out of face to face Frost meeting – The Daily Express
That’s all for this e-Bulletin. I hope you all have a lovely weekend and enjoy the Bank Holiday - let’s hope the weather improves! The fight for a REAL Brexit is still on.
Thank you for your ongoing support which is very much appreciated.
Best wishes from Jayne Adye, Campaign Director and the Team at Get Britain Out
P.S. Finally, please don’t forget, we still need your help with donations for the next few months – see above - to make sure we can help to secure the best Brexit for the United Kingdom. We appreciate all the help many of you have already given to the campaign, although unfortunately donations are reducing. However, for the best possible Brexit to be delivered by the end of this year, now, more than ever, every penny counts if we are to continue our work.
Donations can be made via bank transfer, bank standing order, cheque or PayPal - all the details are HERE.
Re bank transfers – some banks have fraud contingencies in place – so please just make sure the account number and sort code are correct so your transfer goes through correctly.
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PLEASE NOTE: Cheques should be payable to The EU Referendum Campaign Limited and NOT Get Britain Out. Unfortunately, we cannot accept credit card donations (unless via PayPal) – or foreign currency cheques.
Your contributions are very much appreciated. If you would like an acknowledgment, please let me have your e-mail address (or write it on the back of your cheque please).
P.P.S. IMPORTANT: Please continue to circulate this e-Bulletin to more people. Many still want more information. Not already signed up for our free fortnightly e-Bulletins – you can do so HERE.
Remember, you can also get daily information and comments, plus press links, via our social media - Facebook and Twitter. There are links to Brexit press articles on our website (once my staff are in the office Monday to Friday) via this link HERE. For updates on our Recommended Reading, you can find them via this link HERE.
Huge thanks again for your help and support. GET BRITAIN OUT will try to continue to fight and make sure we get the best result from our Leaving the EU - whether it’s with or without a Deal.
Best wishes, as always,
Jayne
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