Leave campaigners 'surprised' by decay in relations with EU, says David Frost

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Leave campaigners ‘surprised’ by decay in relations with EU, says David Frost

Brexit minister says dispute over border checks in Northern Ireland main barrier to better relationship

Lisa O'Carroll Brexit correspondent
@lisaocarroll
Thu 24 Jun 2021 21.40 BST

The deterioration in relations with the EU, partly driven by the Northern Ireland “sausage war”, has come as a surprise to those, who campaigned to leave the bloc five years ago, the government has admitted.

The Brexit minister, David Frost, said they had dreamed of a sovereign Britain, which could set forth on a global mission while maintaining friendly relations with its neighbours.

He was speaking on the eve of an expected concession by the EU to agree to the UK’s request for a three extra months to resolve the dispute over Brexit checks in Northern Ireland including those on chilled meats, nicknamed the sausage war.

In a sign that a modicum of peace may be breaking out, Lord Frost said: “It is absolutely not part of the plan to be bickering with EU and hope it isn’t part of their long term plan either.”

But he admitted that this would only happen if tensions over Northern Ireland were sorted out.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jun/24/brexit-campaigners-surprised-by-sour-relations-with-eu-says-lord-frost

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. 5 years he's worked hard to trash UK relations with the EU, with Tory government support

and he's surprised it worked? Wow.