The ERG (European Research Group), the shadowy party-within-a-party of right wing extreme Eurosceptic Tory MPs are, in my opinion, all stupid men, led by Jacob Rees-Mogg who is the stupidest of them all, as we know. But this doesn't make them harmless. They are determined to get us out of the EU under the harshest and most damaging conditions.
But to give you some idea of the lengths they will go to, they have commissioned a legal opinion on Theresa May's Chequers agreement (HERE) by Martin Howe QC, one of the so-called Lawyers for Britain group. This is within 24 hours of the statement being released.
This was reported yesterday on the Guido Fawkes website (HERE) as: Explosive Brexiteer Legal Advice Demolishes Cabinet's Plan.
Don’t worry it does nothing of the sort. But it's the headline people take away isn't it, not the details which they won't bother with. What it does do is simply point out what Martin Howe doesn’t like about the plan, that it would “amount to a permanent vassal relationship in the area covered by the ‘common’ rulebook”.
He says the Facilitated Customs Arrangement “would be severely damaging to the political prospects of the government and of the Conservative Party, since it would remove the chance of giving tangible benefits of Brexit before the next general election to low income families by removing or lowering tariffs on goods, particularly those where the UK has no or limited producer interests to protect”.
Given all that has been in the press from The Treasury, the OBR, the IFS and so on, I am amazed that he thinks there will be any "tangible benefits of Brexit" anytime soon, if ever.
Mr Howe has form on Brexit. He told us in 2016 that Gina Miller’s challenge stood no chance and said the High Court decision was wrong (HERE) and "doesn't hold water". The Supreme Court then upheld the High Court’s decision.
He has also argued that there should be no divorce bill and the UK should get £9 billion back (HERE) from the EU. This was before we agreed to pay £39 billion, a sum the Public Accounts Committee said last week excluded “at least” £10 billion of other costs we’re liable for.
In other words he's a sort of quack lawyer but these people feed on each other and release their fantasies for the gullible through websites like Guido Fawkes. They are determined men, stupid and all the more dangerous for that. We shouldn't underestimate them.
