Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Alex Burghart has warned that the Government is on the brink of a "big capitulation" to the European Union with a new deal that he claims betrays the wishes of Brexit voters.
Speaking on GB News, Burghart expressed concern that Sir Keir Starmer's administration is poised to sign up to "dynamic alignment" with the EU ahead of Monday's summit in London.
The comments come as Starmer prepares to host EU leaders for what has been described as the most significant effort to reset ties since Britain left the EU in 2020.
He told Camilla Tominey on GB News: “What we're seeing at the moment is, I think we're on the brink of this big capitulation the government appears poised to sign up to what's called dynamic alignment.
Alex Burghart has warned that the government is on the brink of a "big capitulation" to the European Union
GB NEWS
“Dynamic alignment means that we will have to follow the EU's rules on a whole host of regulations that affect trade and goods and fishing and food, but we won't get a say on how those rules are created.
“That's not what the British people voted for in 2016. What British people voted for was independence and sovereignty and it looks like this is just going to be a rollover on that.”
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He added: “What the Labour Party is now trying to do in government is move us back in if you're part of the EU, you get to sit at a table and decide what the rules are going to be.
"If you're not, you don’t. To then be on the outside and to take the EU's rules, it just sounds like the worst of both worlds to me.
“What they're going to do, what the new government is going to do tomorrow is a hiding to nothing.”
The summit, scheduled for Monday in London, is expected to see Starmer announce a "Brexit reset" deal aimed at enhancing post-Brexit relations with the EU.
The prime minister has described it as a "really significant moment" that will be "measured in the pockets of working people".
According to reports, the deal is expected to foster smoother trade in certain food products, ease travel for citizens, and cover areas including trade, agriculture, security and defence.
Starmer has made mending ties with the EU a priority since Labour's electoral success, seeking to bolster the UK's relationship with its major trading partner amid waning Brexit popularity due to economic struggles.
The expected deal includes several key elements aimed at improving UK-EU relations. British travellers could gain access to faster e-gates at EU borders, reducing passport queues.
The UK left the EU in 2020, after the 2016 referendum PAThe agreement may also substantially reduce checks on food and agricultural goods at the UK border.
A stronger defence and security partnership could allow British companies access to an EU loan scheme worth 150 billion euros.
Other potential elements include closer ties on energy markets to help reduce household bills, a youth mobility scheme for under-30s, and the UK rejoining the Erasmus student programme.
The deal could be worth up to "£25 billion per year" according to some economists, potentially outweighing recent trade agreements with India and the US.
