Nigel Farage: Brexit has failed because of 'useless' Tory politicians

Brexit has failed to live up to its potential because “useless” Tory politicians have “mismanaged” the UK’s exit from the European Union, Nigel Farage has said.

The former UKIP and Brexit Party leader, who campaigned vociferously for a referendum, said the country had not benefited economically from the vote to leave “when we could have done”.

He pointed the finger of blame at the Conservatives for “driving business away from our country”, accusing them of being “as useless as the commissioners in Brussels”.

Downing Street rejected the claims, insisting Rishi Sunak viewed Brexit as a success.

It comes during a period of heightened tensions in the Tory Party over the UK’s future outside of the bloc, as the Government reneged on its pledge to complete the axing of 4,000 EU-era laws by the end of the year.

Furious Brexiteers decried the “U-turn”, with Jacob Rees-Mogg, the cabinet minister responsible for the reforms under Boris Johnson, calling the decision “pathetically under-ambitious”.

‘We have mismanaged this totally’

Speaking to BBC Newsnight in an interview broadcast on Monday night, Mr Farage said he did not think “for a moment” that the UK would have been better off in economic terms if it had stayed in the EU.

But he said: “What I do think is we haven’t actually benefited from Brexit economically when we could have done.

“What Brexit has proved, I’m afraid, is that our politicians are about as useless as the commissioners in Brussels were.

“We have mismanaged this totally and if you look at simple things, simple things such as takeovers, such as corporation tax, we are driving business away from our country.”

Mr Farage said the UK was now “arguably” back in control, regulating its own businesses “even more than they were as EU members”.

He started to say “Brexit has failed…”, when he was interrupted and asked if he intended to make a political comeback.

He replied: “Well, I wouldn’t rule it out. It is not at the top of my bucket list, but frankly we have not delivered on borders, we have not delivered on Brexit. The Tories have let us down very, very badly.”

‘Frustration and fury’

Sir John Hayes, a senior Conservative, also warned that the “popular appetite” for change that delivered the Leave vote in 2016 and Mr Johnson’s electoral victory in 2019 had “only been partially sated”.

The chairman of the Common Sense Group told the National Conservatism conference on Tuesday: “In this country the electorate voted for fundamental change twice in recent years, first in the Brexit referendum in 2016 and again in the General Election in 2019.

“The fact this popular appetite has only been partially sated fuels frustration and feeds fury. We must appreciate the widening chasm between the people of Britain and the elite who profess to serve them.”

Asked on Tuesday if Mr Sunak agreed with Mr Farage, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “No. I think the Prime Minister has talked about the benefits of Brexit on a number of occasions.”

Pressed on whether Mr Sunak therefore believed Brexit had been a success, he said: “Yes. I highlighted some of the elements that will bring benefits to the public.

“Clearly we recognise that globally there are a number of challenges on things like inflation. The Covid pandemic, war in Europe, which are having different impacts across countries in Europe and beyond.

“And that is why the Prime Minister has set out his five priorities.”

04:00 PM

That is all for today...

Thank you for joining me for today's politics live blog.

I will be back tomorrow morning.

03:19 PM

Michael Gove: Pressure of migration on housing cannot be ignored

The pressure net migration levels put on housing supply cannot be ignored, Michael Gove has said as he insisted border control must be a benefit of Brexit, writes Dominic Penna. 

Asked about projections net migration could reach one million, he said: "I don’t think it’ll reach those figures but you are right. If you’re looking at pressure on housing we need to look at it in the round.

"Britain’s always been a country that has benefited from people of talent arriving here... But the numbers recently have been at a level when there’s an inevitable level of pressure on housing and public services, just as has been the case with longevity.

"In a well-regulated, in a well-functioning housing market, you can’t ignore the pressure that comes with migration as well. We need to and this is a critical part of Brexit to be able to say this is the level of migration that as a country we believe is right. This is the level we set, these are the safe routes for people fleeing persecution, these are the points we allocate…

"Beyond that there is a limit. Every country in the world recognises that it needs to manage these flows, and managing these flows is a challenge for everybody."

03:11 PM

Getting on the property ladder 'increasingly difficult', admits Michael Gove

Housing Secretary Michael Gove has admitted it is "increasingly difficult" to get on the property ladder, writes Dominic Penna. 

Asked about "milestones" like buying a house and starting a family becoming more difficult, Mr Gove told the National Conservatism conference in Westminster this afternoon: "There is a big problem here, but I don't believe in trying to set generation against generation... There is a problem and the problem is there simply aren’t enough homes in this country, it is increasingly difficult to get on the property ladder."

He added: "We do need to think about supply, but we also need to think about how it is that we can help people, particularly younger people, in that increasingly competitive market to get the first time buyer support that they need. And that is something Rishi has explicitly asked me to look at."

Earlier, he said he and Rishi Sunak's approach was "one that is absolutely committed to more houses being built, but also to take into account other conservative values as well".

02:38 PM

PM unveils plan to 'ensure British farming is at the heart of British trade'

02:25 PM

Gove: Conservative Party 'adapting to changed circumstances'

Michael Gove has denied that criticism of Government policy at the National Conservatism conference in Westminster this week shows the Tory party "tent" has become "too big".

The Levelling Up Secretary told the conference this afternoon: "I think it’s a sign of a party and a broader movement that is healthy, that you can have debate.

"One of the arguments that’s sometimes made is that after 13 years in power, the time has come to dispense with the Conservatives because there’s a lack of ideas, there’s a lack of intellectual energy, there’s a sense of exhaustion.

"I completely disagree. I think what we’ve seen at different points is the Conservative Party, as it always has, adapting to changed circumstances."

02:12 PM

‘Great unretirement’ wave hits as 100,000 forced back to work

Nearly 100,000 early retirees have returned to work as the cost of living crisis forces many to reassess how much money they need to live comfortably.

The number of people aged under 64 who are in retirement fell by 93,000 in the 12 months to March, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

There are now just over 1m working-age people in early retirement, the ONS said, which was the lowest number since 1994.

You can read the full story here.

01:59 PM

Council of Europe summit will not have 'big focus' on migration

Rishi Sunak will tell his fellow leaders at the Council of Europe summit in Iceland later today that tackling the migrant Channel crossings crisis is not just a British issue and there is a need for countries to "cooperate across borders".

However, Thordis Gylfadottir, the foreign affairs minister of the host country, said this afternoon that the summit will not "have a big focus on migration".

She told the BBC Radio 4 World At One programme: "This summit has not a big focus on that. The biggest focus is, of course, Ukraine, and then other issues such as AI and environment and other things. So this summit doesn’t have a big focus on migration in general.

"But I agree that that is an issue for Europe. And of course, that system has to develop with the challenges that we face."

01:07 PM

Pictured: Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt arrives at the Cabinet Office today

12:47 PM

Sunak: Supporting farmers 'not about some nostalgic vision of the UK’s rural past'

Rishi Sunak told his Cabinet that supporting farmers was not about "some nostalgic vision of the UK’s rural past", No10 has said, as Downing Street hosted a "Farm to Fork" summit today.

The Prime Minister said the summit would "focus on how Government and industry can best work together to grow a thriving food sector here in the UK".

"He said this was not about some nostalgic vision of the UK’s rural past, but about growing the economy, creating more jobs and building the UK’s food security," the Prime Minister's Official Spokesman said.

Clarkson’s Farm star Kaleb Cooper was among those in attendance at the "Farm to Fork" summit.

12:38 PM

Rishi Sunak to hold talks with Ursula von der Leyen in Iceland

Rishi Sunak will hold talks with Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, later today as he travels to Iceland to attend a Council of Europe summit.

He is due to meet Ms von der Leyen on the sidelines of the summit and will also hold bilateral talks with Mark Rutte, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, and with the President of the European Court of Human Rights Siofra O’Leary.

Asked about the agenda for meeting with Ms von der Leyen, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman said: "I’m not going to pre-empt their discussion, but I imagine they will talk about Ukraine following President [Volodymyr] Zelensky’s visit to other countries and to see the Prime Minister yesterday. And I would have thought they will talk about the challenge of illegal migration."

Northern Ireland would "potentially" be discussed as well, the spokesman said.

12:11 PM

Downing Street rejects Nigel Farage's Brexit criticism

Downing Street said Rishi Sunak disagreed with Nigel Farage that "Brexit has failed" as No10 said the UK's departure from the EU had been a success (see the post below at 09.52 for Mr Farage's original comments).

Asked if Mr Sunak agreed with Mr Farage, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman said: "No. I think the Prime Minister has talked about the benefits of Brexit on a number of occasions."

Asked if Mr Sunak therefore believed Brexit has been a success, the spokesman said: "Yes. I highlighted some of the elements that will bring benefits to the public. Clearly we recognise that globally there are a number of challenges on things like inflation. The Covid pandemic, war in Europe, which are having different impacts across countries in Europe and beyond.

"And that is why the Prime Minister has set out his five priorities."

11:52 AM

Sunak pulls off biggest tax raid in 44 years as one in five pay higher rate

One in five taxpayers will be paying higher-rate income tax by 2027 as Rishi Sunak's stealth raid forces millions to hand more of their earnings to the Government.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said the Prime Minister and Chancellor's six-year freeze on income tax thresholds is the Treasury's single biggest revenue raiser since Geoffrey Howe increased VAT from 8pc to 15pc in 1979.

It will push the number of people paying a tax rate of 40pc or more on their earnings to 7.8 million by 2027-28, according to official estimates. That represents a quadrupling in the share of adults paying the higher rate since the early 1990s.

You can read the full story here.

11:20 AM

Immigration has changed British cities 'beyond recognition', says chairman of Tory pressure group

Mass immigration has changed British towns and cities beyond recognition, a senior Conservative MP argued as he called for a drastic fall in the numbers of people arriving, writes Dominic Penna. 

Sir John Hayes, who chairs the Tory Common Sense Group, used his speech at the National Conservatism Conference in Westminster to urge his party to follow "the people's instincts" on major issues.

He said: "[This means] an immigration system driven by not the demands of amoral big business, but in tune with the will of the people, cognisant of the social and cultural pressures that mass immigration brings.

"It means ending the overwhelming population change that has strained our public services and massively changed the character of our towns and cities."

11:05 AM

Tories have failed to undo Blair's legacy or act in 'truly conservative' way, claims senior MP

The Conservative Party has failed to undo the legacy of Sir Tony Blair's reforms and act in a "truly conservative" way, one of its backbenchers has argued, writes Dominic Penna. 

Sir John Hayes, the chairman of the Common Sense Group of Tory MPs, noted voters' "frustration" and "fury" at the political desires they expressed in 2016 and 2019 only being "partially sated".

Sir John told the National Conservatism Conference in Westminster today: "Tony Blair may be long gone. But his reforms continue to be regarded as sacrosanct by the liberal establishment, and a legacy of constitutional reform will continue his inexorable process of destroying the fabric of British society.

"The Conservatives have failed to dismantle the destructive machinery of Blair’s failed constitutional reform. This is largely a result of timidity, a failure to do what is truly conservative. Most contemporary conservatives have no idea - no idea - that there is a distinct Tory tradition of constitutional thought."

Taking aim at a "desiccated, hollowed out, sugar-free conservatism", Sir John added: "We may be a broad church, but even the most open-minded churchgoer does not want atheists as fellow travellers."

10:36 AM

Million more migrants heading to Britain before next election, ministers warned

The Home Office has privately predicted a further sharp rise in immigration by the next election, with an influx of another 1.1 million foreign workers and students projected in 2024 unless ministers take action.

The Telegraph can reveal that an official document sent to Downing Street last year warned about the projected spikes in net migration and set out a series of policy options for the Conservatives to meet their 2019 manifesto pledge to bring "overall numbers down".

You can read the full story here.

10:24 AM

Pictured: Ministers arrive in Downing Street for Cabinet meeting this morning

09:57 AM

Gove accuses Starmer of planning to 'downgrade the ultimate privilege of British citizenship'

Michael Gove has accused Sir Keir Starmer of planning to "downgrade the ultimate privilege of British citizenship" by giving EU nationals in the UK the right to vote in a general election.

The Labour leader has suggested people who have spent decades living in the UK ought to be able to vote in elections to decide who runs the country.

But Levelling Up Secretary Mr Gove wrote to the Labour leader saying it had been the "settled constitutional position for many decades" that the right to vote in a general election was limited to British, Irish and qualifying Commonwealth citizens.

In his letter to Sir Keir, Mr Gove said: "Why do you think we should extend voting rights to EU nationals (which they never previously had), now we have left the European Union?

"Why do you think it’s right to downgrade the ultimate privilege of British citizenship – the right to vote in a General Election?"

09:52 AM

Nigel Farage: 'Brexit has failed' because of 'useless' Tory politicians

Nigel Farage said "Brexit has failed" because "useless" Tory politicians have "mismanaged" the UK's exit from the European Union.

The former leader of the Brexit Party said the country had not "actually benefited from Brexit economically when we could have done".

It was suggested to Mr Farage during an interview on BBC Newsnight that economically the UK would have been better off staying in the bloc.

He replied: "I don’t think that for a moment but what I do think is we haven’t actually benefited from Brexit economically when we could have done.

"What Brexit has proved, I’m afraid, is that our politicians are about as useless as the commissioners in Brussels were. We have mismanaged this totally and if you look at simple things, simple things such as takeovers, such as corporation tax, we are driving business away from our country.

"Arguably, now we are back in control, we are regulating our own businesses even more than they were as EU members. Brexit has failed…"

Mr Farage was interrupted and asked if he intended to make a political comeback. He said: "Well, I wouldn’t rule it out. It is not at the top of my bucket list but frankly we have not delivered on borders, we have not delivered on Brexit. The Tories have let us down very, very badly."

09:18 AM

Labour plan to extend vote to EU citizens should be subject to referendum, says ex-Cabinet minister

Any change to who can vote in general elections should be subject to a national referendum, a senior Tory MP has said in response to Labour considering handing the vote to EU citizens and 16 and 17-year-olds.

Labour is looking at the possibility of extending the franchise if it wins power at the next general election although the party has stressed that no final decisions have been made.

Sir Robert Buckland, the Tory former Cabinet minister, said "major constitutional reform" should only be allowed if people have voted directly for it.

He told Sky News: "I think that any major constitutional change, whether it is reform to the electoral system or indeed increasing the franchise quite substantially should be made subject to a referendum by the British people.

"We should be deciding major constitutional reform issues. I don’t think governments of whatever party should be able to just get elected into office and then change the rules.

"They only change the rules, I think, in particular Labour only change the rules, because they think it is going to help them."

08:49 AM

Ex-Cabinet minister suggests Braverman should not have delivered conference speech

Sir Robert Buckland suggested Suella Braverman should not have delivered her keynote speech at a National Conservatism conference in Westminster yesterday.

A number of anonymous Tory MPs told The Guardian overnight that they believed the Home Secretary’s speech was a pitch to be the next leader of the Conservative Party and that she should be focused on tackling the migrant Channel crossings crisis.

Sir Robert, the former justice secretary, was asked about the speech during an interview on Sky News this morning and he said: "I am saying to the Home Secretary that she has got a big job to do, I know she wants to do it. I think getting on and doing that job is exactly where she needs to be.

"The conference of the Conservative Party, there are two conferences, there is the spring forum which we have just had, and there is the Conservative Party conference in the Autumn. That’s the platform through which we should be projecting our views and values."

Asked if he was suggesting Ms Braverman should "shut up", Sir Robert said: "Well, let’s concentrate on the job and we have, as I say, scheduled conferences which can be used by senior members of the Government to project their message."

08:42 AM

Labour: Unemployment figures 'yet more evidence' the Government is a 'drag on UK economy'

Labour said today's unemployment figures (see the post below at 08.20) were "yet more evidence" of a Tory "drag on Britain's economy.

Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow work and pensions secretary, said: "Today we see yet more evidence that this Tory Government is a drag on Britain’s economy.

"Family finances are being squeezed to breaking point by a further fall in real wages, fewer people are in employment than before the pandemic and the number of people out of work due to long-term sickness has reached a record high.

"Labour’s ambitious reform plan will open up Jobcentres, support over 50s back into work and provide specialist job support for those with ill health."

08:23 AM

Chancellor: Unemployment rate 'remains historically low'

Jeremy Hunt said the UK unemployment rate "remains historically low" but staff shortages and rising prices are still a "worry" for families and businesses as he responded to the figures from the Office for National Statistics (see the post below at 08.20).

The Chancellor said: "It’s encouraging that the unemployment rate remains historically low but difficulty in finding staff and rising prices are a worry for many families and businesses.

"That's why we must stick to our plan to halve inflation and help families with the cost of living, while delivering our childcare reforms and supporting older people and disabled people who want to work."

08:20 AM

Unemployment rate rises while job vacancies fall

Britain’s unemployment rate has risen again unexpectedly while vacancies have fallen to the lowest level for 18 months as economic uncertainty weighs on the UK’s jobs market, according to official figures published this morning.

The rate of UK unemployment rose to 3.9 per cent in the three months to March, up from 3.8 per cent in the previous quarter and the highest level since the three months to January 2022, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

Most economists had expected the rate to remain unchanged at 3.8 per cent. Meanwhile, the number of vacancies fell by 55,000 quarter on quarter to 1.08 million in the three months to April, marking the 10th fall in a row.

08:16 AM

Senior Tory MP sets out examples of 'trivial' EU laws being scrapped by Government

Sir William Cash's letter to Rishi Sunak criticising the decision to water down the post-Brexit "bonfire" of EU-era laws (see the post below at 08.07) included examples of the "trivial" regulations which he said the Government is planning to get rid of.

Sir William's examples, which are likely to further fuel anger among Tory Eurosceptic MPs over the Government's new approach, included laws which relate to:

• "Temporary exemptions to repealed EU rules on limits to working hours for drivers during the 2001 foot-and-mouth outbreak".

• "Quota rules for the import of 8,000 tonnes of wheat bran originating in the ACP States into the French overseas territory of Réunion; •

• "Rules on the allocation of fishing opportunities for the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe".

• "The setting of fishing opportunities for anchovy in the Bay of Biscay for the 2011/2012 fishing season (it is worth noting that in excess of 150 instances of REUL included in the Schedule relate to fishing)."

08:07 AM

Brexit red tape 'bonfire' only includes 'trivial' EU laws, senior Tory MP claims

A senior Tory MP has accused Rishi Sunak of only getting rid of "trivial" and "obsolete" EU-era laws after the Government watered-down its post-Brexit "bonfire" of regulations.

Sir William Cash, a leading Conservative Brexiteer and the chairman of the European Scrutiny Committee, has written a letter to the Prime Minister criticising the decision to scale back the plans to scrap the laws.

The Government had pledged to complete the axing of 4,000 regulations by the end of the year but under a new approach just 600 laws will now be revoked, sparking a Brexiteer backlash.

Sir William told Mr Sunak that "almost without exception" the 600 laws which are now being targeted for removal relate to "matters that are trivial, obsolete and are not legally and/or politically important".

He said that therefore the Government’s new plans "cannot be construed as lightening the regulatory burden for businesses or spurring economic growth".

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