Farage: Deal Might Not Be Perfect, But We’ve Made the Break, the Brexit Wars Are Over

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - JANUARY 29: Brexit Party leader and member of the European Parliament
Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Victoria Friedman

Brexit leader Nigel Farage has advised exercising caution after the announcement that Boris Johnson and the EU had made an 11th-hour post-Brexit trade deal, until the details of the agreement are revealed, but said that today was nevertheless significant, and a “tribute to the ordinary men and women who stood up against the Westminster establishment — and won”.

Speaking to Sky News on Christmas Eve, Mr Farage expressed his concern that when the details of the deal are released, it could reveal that the UK remains close to EU regulations, bound to alignment with the bloc and prevented from becoming a competitive trading nation on the world’s stage.

“It’s not perfect. I’m worried we’re going to be too close to EU rules, and that’s what the EU bosses are saying: that we will not be able to step out of line without having the threat of imposing immediate tariffs. But that detail, we’ll discover in the next couple of days,” Mr Farage said.

London and Brussels negotiations were at a deadlock for much of the 11-month transition period, with disagreement over issues such as the ‘level playing field’, which would stop Britain from becoming a competitive global power; EU fishermen’s continued access to British waters; and who would arbitrate any disagreements related to the deal, with the bloc wanting it overseen by the European Court of Justice (ECJ).

Notably following the limited information shared by the prime minister, Mr Farage was disappointed in the five-and-a-half-year transition period before fully returning British waters to British fishermen, saying that for the industry, “it will be ten years after the country voted Brexit before we’re even catching two-thirds of the fish in our waters. [That] isn’t a good deal.

“For example, from next year, can British boats in Devon and Cornwall land bluefin tuna? Yes or no? I don’t know the answer to that. I’m hoping we’ll get some details in the next few days.

“The fishing industry, the coastal communities, today are disappointed.”

He added, however: “The point I’m making is that on the 31st of January this year, and on the 1st of January, 2021, we’ve made the big historic break, the Brexit wars are over, and there’s no going back. And I’ll at least celebrate that this evening.”

Farage continued: “With Brexit, we get back something that we used to think was rather valuable: and it’s called democracy… We had literally given away the ability to govern ourselves. And Brexit makes us a free country, It makes us a democratic country.”

“It may not be perfect, but it’s a very big day and a big step forward. Of course, I’ve got concerns over areas, but is this progress? Are we far better off than we were five years ago? Absolutely,” the Brexiteer said.

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