Brexiteers ‘turned back on UK protection’ to appease EU, ex MEP says

Former MEP Ben Habib hit out at fellow Brexit supporters currently in Government as he questioned their commitment to defending the integrity of the United Kingdom. Mr Habib, who has been challenging the legality of the Northern Ireland Protocol in the courts, said the UK has been abandoning the aim of Brexit in exchange for avoiding trade skirmishes with the European Union. Speaking to GB News’s Michael Portillo, the former MEP said: “What we’ve got here, I think, and I say this advisedly, is a complete collapse in political will at Westminster to do what its very basic function is, which is to protect the fabric of the United Kingdom.”Westminster, including Brexiteers like Chris Heaton-Harris, who’s now Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and Steve Baker, who’s minister of state for Northern Ireland, have turned their back on the protection of the country in favour of the easier route of appeasement of the EU and appeasement of the Republic of Ireland.”It actually sickens me, I don’t want to get too emotional on the programme, to see how our politicians are prepared to step aside while this act of constitutional vandalism happens under their watch.”Mr Portillo however said the latest signals from the UK suggest Westminster could agree to a compromise on the application of the Northern Ireland Protocol to protect trading ties with the European Union.JUST IN: Moment man ‘hurls petrol bomb out of his car at migrant centre before killing himself’ Ben Habib lamented the lack of focus on protecting the integrity of the UK (Image: GB NEWS) Ben Habib has legally challenged the UK over the protocol (Image: GB NEWS)The former Conservative MP said: “What is happening has happened many times before in history in this respect that the British Government has made a policy decision without thinking about Ireland.”So we got into Brexit without thinking what the consequence would be for Ireland. History is probably not moving your way.”I sense that the United Kingdom Government and the Irish are moving closer together which will probably mean, with the intervention of the United States as well, that the European Union will move too.”It seems to me quite likely there is going to be a compromise on this and the compromise will allow a lot of trade that was moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland to move in a way that was unhindered.”READ MORE: Liz Truss was ‘obsessively’ checking weather charts in her final days as PM Michael Portillo suggested the UK could compromise with the UK (Image: GB NEWS)He added: “And then a lot of people will relax because what matters to them is whether the cornflakes are reaching their Tesco.”They’re not so concerned about the constitutional matters.”The protocol returned to the spotlight this week after the DUP and Sinn Fein failed to reach an agreement to form the Northern Ireland Assembly as the unionists maintained their hard line on the need to ditch the protocol to maintain the integrity of the Union.DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said: “We’ve had three prime ministers, Westminster at times has been in chaos, there’s been little focus on getting a solution to the protocol. The talks with the EU only started again a couple of weeks ago, and even then only at a tactical level, not at a political level.DON’T MISS:Zelensky’s call for no fly zone rejected [OPINION]Putin’s army from ‘mysteriously weak’ to ‘brutal’ [REVEAL]People sensationally blame Brexit for Russia’s chilling invasion [REPORT] The Northern Ireland Protocol has been a cause of friction between the UK and the EU (Image: EXPRESS.CO.UK)’We tried for over two years to get a solution on the protocol, we worked with the other parties, we pressed the government to take action, and the EU simply said no, there will be no renegotiation of the protocol.”It reached a point where our ministers in Stormont were required to impose measures on the people of Northern Ireland as a result of the protocol that every single day was harming our economy, our businesses, driving up the cost of living for households.’I welcome the fact that the EU is now at the negotiating table. Why is that? It’s because of the pressure we have put on, it’s because of the steps the DUP has taken that finally, we’re getting a negotiation, a proper negotiation on finding a solution to this problem.’Let’s get on with it, let’s get this solution, let’s see the negotiations and the tempo of those negotiations increased so that we get to an outcome that unionists can support.’