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Jeremy Hunt, British Foreign Secretary, set the tone on Sunday for what should be a highly Eurosceptic conservative party conference, suggesting that Britain was "captured" by the EU and comparing the democratic club. to the Soviet Union.
Hunt's comments confirmed the sheer magnitude of the task faced by Theresa May at the Birmingham conference, as the Prime Minister tries to keep alive her Brexit compromise plan in the face of a wave of anti-European sentiments among the conservatives.
It is getting ready for four hot days as Conservative ministers sit in front of Eurosceptic militants before an upcoming leadership race. Some ministers believe that this could happen next year.
While Ms. May was trying to calm passions before the final stages of the Brexit withdrawal negotiations in the coming weeks, Hunt suggested that the EU was like the Soviet Union trying to stop people from leaving . Nigel Farage, former leader of the pro-Brexit UK pro-independence party, made similar claims.
Mr. Hunt, who was once an enthusiast, is trying to reposition himself as Brexiter. He told the conference: "The lesson from history is clear: if you turn the European club into a prison, the desire to get out of it will not diminish, it will grow. And we will not be the only prisoner who wants to escape. "
The Foreign Minister's allies said his comments reflected growing anger in Britain over how European leaders had treated Ms. May at the recent Salzburg summit, where they rejected her strategy for Brexit, nicknamed the Checkers plan, and at the insistence of Brussels on a "support" system. Northern Ireland that would divide the United Kingdom.
Former Foreign Minister Boris Johnson – who refused to exclude May from leading the Conservatives – accused the prime minister of not "believing" in Brexit and pursuing a "disturbed" Checkers strategy. She is looking for a free trade zone between the UK and the EU after Brexit, where Britain would abide by EU rules.
When asked if her plan for Brexit was dead, Ms. May responded to the BBC: "No, it is not." However, it also refused to exclude further concessions in order to conclude a Brexit agreement with the EU.
Insisting on the need to make substantial changes to her Checkers plan, she said: "What I have said to the European Union is very clear. They have expressed concerns about the proposals we have developed. Let's see what these detailed concerns are. "
Michel Barnier, the EU's chief negotiator for Brexit, is expected to present draft proposals for a future EU-UK partnership in the coming days.
Michael Gove, Environment Secretary at Eurosceptic, backed May's efforts to conclude a withdrawal deal with the EU, saying that a non-agreement scenario – favored by some uncompromising Brexiters – would be "disruptive".
Speaking at a conference on the sidelines of the conference, Mr. Gove said, "I am worried about this. I think that an agreement would be much, much better … It is certainly not something that I would consider with a happy heart. "
Mr Johnson will intensify his attacks on Ms May at a "Chuck Checkers" rally on Tuesday, but there were signs that her incessant criticism of the Prime Minister was beginning to spread.
The other Conservatives were laughing at the lawyer for Mr. Johnson, who had explained the plea for a bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland, exposed in an interview to the Sunday Times.
Former Brexit Secretary David Davis, who, like Johnson, left the firm on the Checkers plan, said:
Interior Minister Sajid Javid said on Twitter: "The Birmingham-Belfast flight has been delayed. I would like there to be a bridge.
Alan Duncan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, told Mr. Johnson: "Advertising is his cocaine."
Digby Jones, former head of the CBI, was applauded when he criticized Johnson for his apparent disregard for the impact of Brexit on business. "The business is so important that when I heard a former foreign minister say" f-business ", it showed him to the irrelevant and offensive person that he's really ", did he declare.
Meanwhile, Ms. May sought to show that she had an agenda beyond Brexit by unveiling several domestic policy initiatives.
She announced that foreign buyers of British goods that do not pay taxes in Britain would face a new stamp duty surcharge of up to 3%, the proceeds of which would be used to fund a sleep program gross .
She also established plans for a nationwide post-Brexit festival in 2022, telling the Sunday Times: "We want to show what makes our country big today.
But the conference got off to a bad start when Conservative MPs had their personal information, including e-mail addresses revealed by a flaw in the official smartphone app of the event. The Office of the Information Commissioner has announced that it will conduct an investigation.
