High Peak Liberal Democrats

Farron: Theresa May marching towards Brexit without “plan or clue”

On Tuesday, Sir Ivan Rogers' resignation as the UK's representative to the EU caused New Year shock waves and later, his resignation email to his colleagues was published. His assessment of the Government's performance so far is not one which inspires confidence in ministers.

He told his colleagues:

I hope you will continue to challenge ill-founded arguments and muddled thinking and that you will never be afraid to speak the truth to those in power.

And this paragraph can only be described as "take that, Liam Fox."

As I have argued consistently at every level since June, many opportunities for the UK in the future will derive from the mere fact of having left and being free to take a different path. But others will depend entirely on the precise shape of deals we can negotiate in the years ahead. Contrary to the beliefs of some, free trade does not just happen when it is not thwarted by authorities: increasing market access to other markets and consumer choice in our own, depends on the deals, multilateral, plurilateral and bilateral that we strike, and the terms that we agree. I shall advise my successor to continue to make these points.

Nick Clegg made his views clear on Channel 4 news, praising Ivan Rogers with whom he had worked for being "punctiliously objective" and "rigorous" in the advice he provided.

Tim Farron's comments focused on the chaos within Government:

It is damning when our own top people are slamming this Conservative Brexit government for using ill-founded arguments and muddled thinking.

This is the biggest decision by the UK Government in modern times and Theresa May is marching ahead without a plan or even a clue.

We need our top people around the table if we are going to avoid wrecking the country with Brexit. It is shameful that vital, talented people like Ivan Rogers are instead being driven away.

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