[ad_1]
Nigel Farage hails Boris as ‘the man who finished the job’ as the prime minister begins lobbying hardline Brexiters before his deal heads to the Commons
- Boris Johnson spoke to senior members of the European Research Group on Christmas Eve in an attempt to persuade them to back the Brexit deal.
- Nigel Farage praised the deal, declaring that ‘the Brexit wars are over’
- Parliamentarians and colleagues have been summoned back to Parliament to vote on the deal on December 30.
Boris Johnson has started to pressure hardliners Brexiters in his party to support his deal, as Nigel Farage praised him as “the man who finished the job.”
The prime minister spoke with high-level members of the European Research Group on Christmas Eve in a bid to persuade them to back the deal when it comes to the Commons next Wednesday.
The group is convening a “star chamber” of legal experts to analyze the agreement, and is not expected to deliver its final verdict until Monday, when members have had a chance to analyze the full document.
Boris Johnson has begun to pressure hardliners Brexiters in his party to support his deal. In the photo: Johnson talks to the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, of hers on Wednesday, when they agreed on a Brexit deal.
Brexit Party leader Mr Farage praised the deal, declaring that “the Brexit wars are over,” but former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith said: “Beneath the twist, bits of important details are beginning to emerge raising questions. .
“That is why the government should now publish the full text.”
Parliamentarians and their peers have been called back to Parliament to vote on the deal on December 30, just one day before the end of the transition period.
It will be accelerated to ensure it gets the queen’s royal consent in time for the final deadline to ensure it can be implemented from January 1.
Brexit Party leader Mr Farage praised the deal, stating that ‘the Brexit wars are over’ and praising Boris Johnson as ‘the man who finished the job’
There is no chance of a Commons defeat for Johnson because the Labor Party has said it will vote in favor. But the prime minister wants as many hardline Brexiters as possible to support the deal to ensure a firm end to the conservative wars that have plagued the party for a generation and cost a number of party leaders their jobs.
The deal must also be approved by all other EU members, but it is expected to be a formality. Even France, which lobbied hard during the talks to protect the rights of its fishermen, has spoken warmly on the deal.
Johnson began calling in senior members of the ERG on Christmas Eve to push for the deal. Oliver Lewis, the British deputy chief negotiator under Lord Frost, also plays a key role in ensuring the widest possible support for the deal.
The author of the Vote Leave manifesto, known in Downing Street as ‘Sonic’, is in regular contact with members of the ERG to explain the deal.
Number 10 is understood to be confident that the deal “appears to have landed in a decent place.”
Brexit supporters participating in the March to Leave protest approach police outside Downing Street on March 29, 2019
A source said: ‘The Prime Minister clearly wants as many colleagues as possible to vote for the deal. I really wouldn’t have signed it if I didn’t think it’s good for the country. ‘
Farage’s comments will be welcomed by Johnson, who feared the Brexit Party would paint the deal as a betrayal.
On Wednesday, the former Ukip leader appeared to be preparing to mourn betrayal over the deal, tweeting: ‘It appears the British team has dropped the ball before the line. No wonder they want a Christmas Eve ad to hide the sale of the fisheries.
But by Thursday morning he had changed positions, praising Johnson and his top lieutenant Michael Gove as the two high-ranking conservative politicians who “had the guts to back Brexit.”
Speaking to TalkRadio, Mr. Farage described the trade deal as “not perfect, but, my gosh, it’s still in progress.”
“The Brexit wars are over, they end on January 1,” he said. ‘Boris will be seen as the man who finished the job. Maybe not perfectly, but yeah, he’s done what he said he would do in the big picture. ‘
Mr Farage added: ‘I suspect that on some of the details, like’ we will be in charge of our fisheries again ‘, history may judge some of those aspects a little more harshly. But in the main, the war is over. It has lasted for decades in this country, from the Maastricht rebellion onwards.
“The struggle over whether we should be part of the European structures or not has never, never disappeared.”
