Peter Mandelson brands Brexit freedoms a FETISH in furious pro-EU rant

He claimed that edging closer to the bloc and following EU rules would benefit Britain - and attacked the "fetish of dis-alignment" displayed by Brexiteers.

"Why make a fetish of dis-alignment when we know that it's in the interests of our business and traders to pursue and to follow those rules and standards," the ambassador told attendees at an Atlantic Council event.

But Mandelson also acknowledged Brexit Britain's role as a bridge between the EU and US, telling a crowd that "the job of Britain is to be of huge usefulness" to both parties.

"I think the job of Britain is to be of huge usefulness both to the United States and the European Union," the ex-EU trade commissioner said.

"We're not in the European Union anymore, and we're not going to go back for the foreseeable future, certainly. But we are European, a European country.

"We left the European Union with a pretty miserable deal, frankly, unfair to us, not particularly favourable in the long term to the EU.

"But, like the Prime Minister has said, we see absolutely nothing inconsistent with or at odds between our relationship in Europe and our relationship with the US."

Washington officials have warned Starmer that cosying up to the EU too closely could risk his relationship with President Donald Trump.

Trump, after agreeing to a trade deal with Britain earlier this month, stressed that the agreement had only been reached "because of Brexit".

"The European Union treated us extremely unfairly... and hurt themselves in doing so," the President blasted.

"They very much want to make a deal. We’ll be dealing with them. We are dealing with them currently. This was separate because of Brexit in particular... It always seemed so natural."

But just 11 days later, following the signing of the EU "reset" deal, Trump ally and arch-Brexiteer ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that Starmer was turning the UK into the "gimp of Brussels".

"He said he wouldn't go back on Brexit, on the freedoms that the British people won in that referendum, he's done the absolute reverse. He's decided to make to make this country a rule-taker," Johnson spat.

"Worst of all, he's decided we can pay for all of this. We can pay for the privilege of once again being ruled, in many ways, by Brussels.

"We're going to be coughing up to the EU's budgets. It's absolutely absurd. It goes against what he said. He's turning this country, once again, into the orange ball-chewing, leather-truss gimp of Brussels."