Top Brexiteers' fury over EU exit strategy

BATTLE TO LEAVE BRUSSELS

- David Williamson

SENIOR Brexiteers have condemned the Government’s approach to taking Britain out of the EU.

Leave supporters fear Brussels will secure lasting influence over the UK and wreck the dream of freedom from Europe.

There is also concern the UK could remain entangled in EU defence programmes once the Brexit transition phase is over at the end of the year.

It comes with the next round of Brexit talks starting in Brussels this week.

DUP MP Sammy Wilson wants the British negotiating team led by David Frost to force major changes to the Withdrawal Agreement with the EU.

He warned that it “leaves the EU with a firm grip on important areas of UK economic policy and law-making powers”.

Mr Wilson claims the Northern Ireland protocol which is designed to avoid the need for a hard border on the island “wrecks the Union” and “wrecks Brexit”. He described it as an EU “Trojan horse to get its bureaucrats, policies and the influence of the European Court of Justice into the very heart of UK governance”.

On the Conservatives Global website, he said: “We will never be a sovereign nation while this protocol is in place. As a unionist I am appalled at its impact on the integrity of the UK.