EU's demands are an affront to the British people - but Labour must not take us for fools!

Today’s article in the Financial Times outlining the European Union’s eight demands for cordial relations with the United Kingdom is yet another stark reminder of why we fought so fiercely for Brexit.

Once again, the European Union is attempting to bully a sovereign nation into making concessions that undermine our independence and national integrity.

These demands, ranging from allowing continued access to British fishing waters for EU vessels to imposing conditions on the settled status of EU residents, are nothing short of an affront to the will of the British people.

I did not fight for Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union for ideological purposes. Instead, I did so because I love my country, I cherish our unique history, and I believe in the sovereign right of nation states to decide the course of their future.

Above all, because I believe in the democratic mandate of our eight-hundred-year-old Parliament and the right for those that we elect to have the final say over the affairs that affect the Realm.

However, on this last point, I fear that our elected government will not be so averse to the demands made by our European neighbours.

We must not play down the significance of the Brexit referendum result, let alone pretend it did not happen.

This was the largest democratic exercise in our nation’s history. It was not merely a vote to leave the European Union, but it was a vote to radically change the perspectives of our political class.

It was a mass protest against the establishment to prove that the British people are fed up with being talked down to; being told that immigration is only good for the economy; that Britain is a nation in decline and that a European superstate is the answer.

We can see that very same discontent manifest itself during the election through the electoral success of Reform UK.

My own constituency of Romford voted overwhelmingly to leave the European Union, with our local Council being the first to come out in support for the Leave side.

However, despite my rigorousness in supporting Brexit and ensuring that we deliver on the Referendum result, as well as my agreements with much of Reform’s platform, Reform achieved over 20% of the vote.

Why do a mention this? If the Labour Party want to avoid an exodus in their support base to Nigel Farage and the Reform Party, especially in the North of England, they must not be capitulate in the face of EU bullying.

Ultimately, the EU’s final desire is to watch Brexit fail, for the United Kingdom to rejoin, and to finally defeat Euroscepticism Europe-wide.

The Windsor Framework, which I oppose vehemently, is a clear example of the EU's attempts to undermine the very foundation upon which our nation is built. To keep Northern Ireland shackled to its customs union undermines the signing of the Acts of Union which ensures that (Northern) Ireland is formally part of our United Kingdom family of nations.

The very essence of Brexit was to restore our nation’s sovereignty, and that includes every part of our United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland.

The idea that Northern Ireland should be treated differently, subjected to EU rules and customs checks, is unacceptable and a betrayal to the unionists of Ulster who voted with their fellow countrymen and women in Great Britain.

These demands are typical of the European Union’s modus operandi: to bully and intimidate nations into compliance.

The newly elected Labour government, unfortunately, appears all too likely to fall into this trap, eager to appease Brussels at the expense of British interests. This would be a grave mistake.

We must not allow the EU to undermine our sovereignty and dictate terms to an independent United Kingdom.

I was equally as fed up as many voters who went to the polls on the 4th July. We won a potent electoral mandate in 2019 on the back of delivering Brexit, cutting migration, and charting a course for a truly global Britain.

Yet on all three of these we failed to offer anything near as bold as what the electorate would have liked. We are uniquely positioned to succeed outside the EU, thanks to our Commonwealth connections and our rich maritime heritage.

Any Government serious about enhancing Britain’s position in the world must be approaching those nation’s which Britain cast aside when we joined the E.E.C., namely Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

These relationships, based on shared values and mutual respect, offer not only immense potential for trade, cooperation, and cultural exchange, but the opportunity to construct, as historian Andrew Roberts termed “the Third Pillar of the West”.

In short, our future lies not in capitulating to EU demands but in embracing the opportunities that Brexit provides. As a nation in Europe, but not in the EU, and with the soft power afforded to us as the birthplace of the English language, we must not be afraid to stand-up to this EU control mechanism.

Brexit was about taking back control – control of our laws, our borders, and our waters. It is about charting a new course for our country, free from the shackles of EU bureaucracy.

We must remain resolute in defending our sovereignty and reject any attempts by the EU to undermine it.

The Labour government must be reminded that the British people voted for Brexit to reclaim their nation’s independence and forge a brighter future on the global stage.

We must not let the EU's bullying tactics derail that vision. Britain’s destiny is in our own hands, and we must grasp it with confidence and determination.

We must not be taken for fools or weaklings. The bulldog spirit will prevail. Our great British nation must come first!"