21 Aug 2018
UK will be ‘damn glad’ it left the EU in 10 years, says Efra Committee chair
Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee Neil Parish drew applause at NFU conference when he said the UK will be ‘damn glad’ it left the EU in ten years’ time.
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Abi Kay
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Mr Parish, who was a Member of the European Parliament for 10 years before winning a seat in Westminster, made the remarks at the launch of the committee’s Brexit: Trade in Food report.
He said: “While I was a remainer, I can understand why a lot of people voted to come out.
“When David Cameron went over for a deal with Europe to come back to face the referendum, they gave him virtually nothing, and that is what the European Commission is like.
“They like all the powers to be vested too much in Europe and not enough in member states.
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“As far as I am concerned, for better or for worse, we are coming out. My absolutely candid view is the first five years are not going to be good, but ten years down the road, we will be damn glad we are out of it.
“You look at the growth in the world and it is not in Europe. I still want access to that market, but I think ultimately, the world will be outside.”
Mr Parish made the remarks in response to a question from CLA president Tim Breitmeyer, who said the Europeans were ‘hacked off’ with the UK’s decision to leave the EU.
“I spent four years in Europe chairing the European Landowners Policy Group, and mark my words, they want to give us a much, much worse deal”, he added.
“I do not think your cabinet colleagues really understand just how much we are going to have to give way when it comes to free access and regulatory divergence.
“Only 16 per cent of their exports come across to our country, and there is a lot of talk in Germany of looking for different markets, so I would really ask you try to get this point across, because otherwise my fear is we are heading to the door.”
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