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Lord Frost calls on UK Government to ’embrace’ Brexit as he warns of ‘secret’ plot

13 Feb 2023 3 minute read
Lord Frost, the UK’s former chief Brexit negotiator. Photo Jonathan Brady PA Images

Former chief Brexit negotiator Lord Frost has urged the UK Government to “fully and enthusiastically embrace the advantages of Brexit” as he warned of a plot to undermine the agreement.

Lord Frost referred to a “secret” cross-party gathering on foreign affairs, which was held at the Ditchley Park retreat in Oxfordshire last week, as “a further piece of evidence that many in our political and business establishment want to unravel the deals we did to exit the EU in 2020 and to stay shadowing the EU instead”.

He told the Daily Mail: “That’s why so many of those responsible for Theresa May’s failed backstop deal were there, while I and those who actually delivered the Brexit agreements were not.”

It was originally reported by The Observer that Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove – who co-led the Vote Leave campaign in 2016 – was in attendance for the discussions, alongside senior members of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s shadow cabinet.

Fixing

Lord Frost continued: “Brexit doesn’t need ‘fixing’. It needs this Conservative Government, elected with a huge mandate on a Brexit programme, to fully and enthusiastically embrace its advantages instead of leaving the field to those who never wanted it in the first place.

“I and millions of others want the Government to get on with that instead of raising taxes, deterring investment and pushing public spending to its highest level for 70 years.”

The significance of the event was played down by sources with knowledge of the meeting.

It is understood Mr Gove attended the meeting because he is a governor at Ditchley Park. He no longer has any involvement in setting Brexit policy in his role as Levelling Up Secretary.

A Labour source said: “This was a bog standard Ditchley Park conference. Their events are always cross-party.“

Another source familiar with the event said it was a “quite dull conference” on foreign affairs.

The Prime Minister looked to swerve questions about the meeting, instead focusing on what the UK Government is doing to make the most of its post-Brexit freedoms.

Rishi Sunak told broadcasters during a visit to Oldham on Monday that he wanted to “drive growth in our economy by seizing the opportunities of Brexit, to do things differently”.

He added: “It is not about the meeting – I’m talking about what the Government is doing, and that’s making sure we capitalise on the benefits of Brexit.”

Lord Frost’s comments come after the UK and the EU reiterated their commitment to finding “joint solutions” to differences around the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol.

The protocol was agreed between the two parties in 2019 as a way to unlock the logjam over securing a Brexit withdrawal agreement.

There is mounting speculation that a deal is finally on the cards to reduce the red tape on trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.


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Steve A Duggan
Steve A Duggan
1 year ago

Hmmm.. Embrace the advantages of Brxit – there aren’t any. It’s time to stop listening to these idiots.

CJPh
CJPh
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve A Duggan

The main advantage of Brexit for us in Cymru is it offers a (rhetorically strong) precedent for our own independence. Every cloud…

Kerry Davies
Kerry Davies
1 year ago

Frost and Johnson 1; Negotiate oven ready deal.
F&J 2; Praise oven ready deal to heavens.
F&J 3; Turn about face and slam oven ready deal.
F&J 4; Try to ditch oven ready deal.
F&J 5 Defend oven ready deal from cross-party group trying to make it work.

What is that escapes my understanding here?

Kerry Davies
Kerry Davies
1 year ago

Gets worse Part 2

The UK has suffered a loss of business investment since the 2016 Brexit referendum worth £29bn, or £1,000 per household, according to a study by a senior Bank of England official.

Rob
Rob
1 year ago

What advantages? Please enlighten us. Yes I voted remain. When I woke up that morning in 2016 to learn that the UK & Wales had voted to leave, despite feeling disappointed, I was prepared to accept the result. Sometimes in a democracy things don’t always go the way you want. However I what kind of Brexit did we vote for? Did we vote to make ourselves poorer? Did we vote for powers to be taken away from the Senedd and back to Westminster? Did we vote to endanger the Northern Ireland Peace Process? Before the referendum the leave campaign were… Read more »

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
1 year ago

If I were a Shrink I would say he is delusional and have him sectioned, in fact all the government’s ‘characters’ are candidates for 28 days of psychiatric assessment…

Last edited 1 year ago by Mab Meirion
Wediblino
Wediblino
1 year ago

one unelected bureaucrat to rule them all

Dafydd Huw
Dafydd Huw
1 year ago

The guy is a fool, please can we stop publishing his delusional ramblings.

Argol fawr!
Argol fawr!
1 year ago

Not so much of a secret plot really Frost, once everyone’s realised rowing over Niagara falls isn’t the promised land you kept ranting on about!

Last edited 1 year ago by Argol fawr!
Fi yn unig
Fi yn unig
1 year ago

Most things that Tories say, including ‘the advantages of Brexit’, are for a niche audience and not the vast majority of us. An example: ‘WE’LL focus on the advantages of Brexit cornering YOUR wealth within OUR accounts and we’ll give you lot the instructions on what you should focus on which, for you working class unworthy underlings, is racism, xenophobia, bigotry, misogyny, trans bashing, small boats, turning on each other and racing to the bottom. We designate THESE as the ‘peoples’ priorities’.

Richard
Richard
1 year ago

All is safe for “ jack “ Frost. The Wrstminster Gvt had just anounced a major new trade relationship …..Wait for it ……

which country ?

a big catch …..MALTA …..😱

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