{"id":136366,"date":"2025-05-27T16:35:15","date_gmt":"2025-05-27T16:35:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/136366\/"},"modified":"2025-05-27T16:35:15","modified_gmt":"2025-05-27T16:35:15","slug":"farage-looks-furious-twitter-melts-down-a-brexit-deal-faq","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/136366\/","title":{"rendered":"Farage looks furious, Twitter melts down: a Brexit Deal FAQ"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On Monday, I emerged from a full day of meetings in Manchester \u2013 ten solid hours of back-to-back discussions, no phone checking, no news, no chance to check Twitter. It was the kind of day where even your smartwatch gives up trying to alert you. Total radio silence.<\/strong><\/p>\n

By the time I collapsed into my seat on the train back to London and finally opened the hellsite formerly known as Twitter, I was immediately confronted with what looked, at first glance, like a full-scale national emergency.<\/p>\n

There were all-caps declarations about \u201csurrender.\u201d People were screaming about fish. There were solemn black-and-white profile pictures and furious threads about the death of sovereignty. One user was claiming we\u2019d just become a vassal state. Another said it was the end of Britain as we knew it. Someone had posted a picture of Nigel Farage looking disappointed, which is how I knew something had either gone terribly wrong or mildly right.<\/p>\n

\n

Keir Starmer has signed what is little more than a surrender agreement with the European Union.<\/p>\n

This deal will go down as one of the worst in British history.https:\/\/t.co\/tpgdnSVVlg<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) May 20, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

For a brief moment, I genuinely wondered if we\u2019d entered into a surprise war with the EU in the few hours I\u2019d been out of signal. Had Starmer, in a moment of diplomatic collapse, signed over the Kent and Norfolk coastlines to Ursula von der Leyen in exchange for her agreeing to leave us alone and not impose direct EU rule from a makeshift office in Dover? Had there been a rapid, humiliating capitulation \u2013 flags lowered, blue berets deployed and fish markets occupied by Brussels bureaucrats?<\/p>\n

The hysteria was that loud. That melodramatic. That unmoored from reality.<\/p>\n

So, to help us all cut through the noise, the fantasy and the fish-fuelled fury, here\u2019s a handy FAQ to explain what the deal actually does \u2013 and what it absolutely does not.<\/p>\n

Did we rejoin the EU?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Does the EU now have control over our food standard and energy policies? Sure, we\u2019re outside the EU<\/p>\n

\u2014 ProfitSnatcher (@10to15percent) May 20, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

No. We\u2019re still not in the EU. No single market. No customs union. No vote. No influence. We\u2019re what\u2019s known as a \u2018third country\u2019 \u2013 on the outside looking in. This deal simply tries to smooth the rough edges left behind by the original Brexit deal, which was rushed, underbaked and fuelled more by Boris Johnson\u2019s need for a photo op than any coherent strategy.<\/p>\n

So what actually changed in this new deal?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

So the EU gets the UK\u2019s fish for the next 12 years & set our laws indefinitely<\/p>\n

In return the UK air passengers get to use the passport E-Gates at EU airports & British students can now apply to an EU student exchange thing<\/p>\n

Seems like the EU got a lot more out of this deal\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/0shZZhlHG2<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Aaron Rankin (@Aaron_R_Rankin) May 19, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Several things, mostly technical but important. The new agreement reduces red tape on agri-food exports, potentially saving businesses millions in veterinary checks and delays. It restores e-gate access for British travellers at many EU airports. It lays the groundwork for a youth mobility scheme, similar to what we have with Australia and Japan. And it formally extends EU fishing access in UK waters until 2038 \u2013 which was already agreed under Boris Johnson\u2019s deal but is now being repackaged with some actual reciprocal benefits.<\/p>\n

Wait, didn\u2019t we already give EU boats access to UK waters?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Next year the fishing grounds would have reverted to British ownership. We had actual leverage to negotiate their access to them, and what did we do? negotiate paying the EU to continue being a net importer of fish. You can not hate our establishment enough.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Burnside (@BurnsideWasTosh) May 20, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Yes. That happened under Boris Johnson. It\u2019s not new. His \u201cgreat deal\u201d signed away full control of our waters in exchange for a thin trade deal and some good press. This latest agreement doesn\u2019t increase access for EU boats \u2013 it keeps it at the existing level but gets something in return: smoother exports, fewer border checks and reduced friction for British farmers and food businesses. It\u2019s a net gain from a position of weakness, not a fresh surrender.<\/p>\n

But isn\u2019t this a betrayal of British fishermen?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

TAKING BACK CONTROL: Just as the UK fishing industry were about to take back control of OUR FISH, The Prime Minister of our OWN Country sells them out. And for what? 2 MINUTES LESS at the fcuking Airport \u2013 Boris is right, this is the Great British Betrayal. I call it TREASON! pic.twitter.com\/sbVJ0hltx6<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Steve Sheasby\ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 (@SteveSheasby) May 19, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The betrayal already happened \u2013 and it had a Union Jack on it. British fishermen were promised control over their waters and a bonanza of post-Brexit freedom. What they got was paperwork, spoiled catches and export nightmares. Markets vanished, especially for shellfish. This deal doesn\u2019t reverse that, but it doesn\u2019t worsen it either. It stabilises the situation and trades what\u2019s already been conceded for something of actual value.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the big deal about e-gates?<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve ever stood in a sweaty passport queue for an hour at a Spanish airport, gagging to get to a nice beach with a reasonably priced chiringuito while watching EU citizens breeze through, you\u2019ll understand. E-gates mean quicker entry into Europe for UK passport holders \u2013 no more queueing with arrivals from countries we have no travel treaties with. It\u2019s not about luxury. It\u2019s about time, dignity and function. It also benefits border control staffing on both sides. A small win, but a real one.<\/p>\n

Isn\u2019t this all just for the middle class? Working-class people don\u2019t travel!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Whoever writes these posts for @Keir_Starmer<\/a> isn’t helping him.<\/p>\n

Unlike some lucky people who have 2 or 3, most people in the UK don’t go on holiday to an EU country every year, a lot of people don’t even go on a holiday because they cant afford it.<\/p>\n

How does this benefit them? https:\/\/t.co\/8LSa5yNtXx<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 david lawrence (@DavidSocial1976) May 20, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Tell that to the 15 million Britons who flew to Spain last year. Many of them were working class \u2013 and no, they weren\u2019t jetting off for EU conferences or luxury getaways. They were travelling for all the same reasons anyone does: to see family, to work, to get a break from life, or just to sit in the sun for a few days. Mobility isn\u2019t a classed activity \u2013 it\u2019s a human one.<\/p>\n

And post-Brexit, it\u2019s working people who\u2019ve often been hit hardest by the extra border friction \u2013 whether as travellers facing longer queues, or as those working in tourism, hospitality, or transport who\u2019ve seen the disruption up close.<\/p>\n

The idea that smoother travel only benefits the middle class is lazy snobbery dressed up as populism. Convenience and dignity at borders shouldn\u2019t be reserved for anyone.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re part of what it means to move through the world with some basic respect. Working-class mobility matters \u2013 at borders, in jobs and in life. And pretending it doesn\u2019t is just another way of saying some people should be stuck in place while others glide through.<\/p>\n

Does this mean the EU can now make our laws?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Your right, I voted to leave bcuz sovereignty was important to me. Now under Starmer’s betrayal deal, we’re literally back in.
Now we’re back under more EU laws & regulations. It’s almost as if my democratic vote never happened \ud83d\ude12@Iromg<\/a> #BrexitReset<\/a> #StarmerOut<\/a> @KemiBadenoch<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Simon 67 \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 \ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc65\udb40\udc6e\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc7f \ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf1 (@SimonCambridge) May 20, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

No. The UK remains a sovereign state. Parliament can still pass, amend and repeal laws whenever it likes \u2013 sometimes even after reading them. No one in Brussels is dictating how we run our schools, set our taxes or organise bin collections.<\/p>\n

But if we want to sell things to the EU \u2013 still our biggest trading partner, despite several years of pretending we didn\u2019t like them anyway \u2013 we have to meet their standards for what enters their market. That\u2019s not tyranny. That\u2019s just how trade works.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t unique to us. Canada doesn\u2019t burst into tears every time it aligns with EU food regulations. The US grumbles, tweaks and still does it. Japan hasn\u2019t held a national day of mourning because it had to follow EU product labelling rules. You want to sell something to someone?<\/p>\n

You follow their entry requirements.<\/p>\n

Just like you take your shoes off at airport security even when you know you\u2019re not carrying Semtex.<\/p>\n

You can\u2019t export chlorinated chicken or unpasteurised sheep\u2019s milk and act surprised when it\u2019s turned away at the border like an underdressed nightclubber. Aligning with standards isn\u2019t surrender \u2013 it\u2019s negotiation. It\u2019s weighing up: \u201cIs the market access worth the adjustment?\u201d And deciding for yourself.<\/p>\n

The \u201cEU law = tyranny\u201d crowd either haven\u2019t read a trade treaty since GCSE Business Studies, or they\u2019re banking on the rest of us not reading one either. Either way, it\u2019s not a serious argument. It\u2019s cosplay with a copy of The Sun tucked under one arm.<\/p>\n

But aren\u2019t we now subject to the European Court of Justice again?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

ECJ now overrules U.K. law that\u2019s a loss of sovereignty stop denying reality<\/p>\n

\u2014 David Mcc (@DavidMcc618625) May 20, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Only in very specific areas and mostly in Northern Ireland, where the ECJ already had limited oversight thanks to Johnson\u2019s original Northern Ireland Protocol. This new deal doesn\u2019t change domestic UK law. The ECJ doesn\u2019t tell British courts what to do. The obsession with the ECJ is mostly theatre \u2013 useful for stoking outrage, but meaningless for the average citizen. It\u2019s a spectre, not a sovereign threat.<\/p>\n

Did Keir Starmer secretly rejoin the single market?<\/strong><\/p>\n

No. Not even close. Keir Starmer remains committed to the hard Brexit position Labour adopted in 2019 under Corbyn \u2013 and quietly reaffirmed under his leadership. There\u2019s no talk of rejoining the single market, customs union or restoring freedom of movement. The red lines drawn by Johnson\u2019s government are still very much in place.<\/p>\n

\n

The reset by Sir Keir Surrender is rejoining under another name. \u201cA patriot of the world alone, a friend of every country but his own\u201d. https:\/\/t.co\/8KxpgDYmmm<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jacob Rees-Mogg (@Jacob_Rees_Mogg) May 20, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What this deal does is reduce some of the friction caused by those red lines. It doesn\u2019t redraw the map \u2013 it just smooths over the worst of the damage. There\u2019s no sweeping realignment with the EU, no backdoor re-entry, no Brussels love-in. It\u2019s technical cooperation in areas like food exports, travel and youth mobility, designed to stop British businesses and citizens from bleeding out at the border.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not a reversal. It\u2019s a minor correction. A bureaucratic bandage. Think of it as Brexit with fewer self-inflicted paper cuts \u2013 still dysfunctional, just less bloody.<\/p>\n

Isn\u2019t this undermining the referendum result?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Absolutely not. The UK voted to leave the EU. And it did. We\u2019re out of the single market. Out of the customs union. Out of the institutions. We no longer have a seat at the table \u2013 or a vote on the rules. That ship sailed, Union Jack flapping wildly from the stern.<\/p>\n

\n

Just a reminder 17.2 million voted for Brexit and only 9.7 million voted for Labour.. <\/p>\n

Keir Starmer has betrayed democracy and the Silent Majority by doing a deal between the UK-EU.<\/p>\n

#StarmerOut<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/hr8COv7sEx<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 WeGotitBack \ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc65\udb40\udc6e\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc7f\ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@NotFarLeftAtAll) May 19, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This deal doesn\u2019t reverse Brexit. It doesn\u2019t roll back the referendum. It simply tries to make the current arrangement less disastrous for the people and businesses who\u2019ve been living with the fallout for the last eight years. It\u2019s not a stealth re-entry \u2013 it\u2019s basic maintenance.<\/p>\n

Unless your interpretation of the referendum result was \u201cleave, then never speak to them again, even if it tanks the economy,\u201d then there\u2019s no betrayal here. What would be a betrayal is refusing to govern responsibly \u2013 refusing to act in the national interest \u2013 just to appease a fantasy version of Brexit that was never real, never deliverable and never properly explained in the first place.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the youth mobility scheme and why are people losing their minds over it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a proposed reciprocal agreement that would allow young people \u2013 typically aged 18 to 30 \u2013 from the UK and EU to live, work and travel in each other\u2019s countries for a limited period, usually up to two years. Think of it as a cultural and economic exchange programme with practical benefits on both sides. We already have nearly identical schemes in place with countries like Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Japan, and no one\u2019s claiming those have compromised our sovereignty or reversed history.<\/p>\n

\n

BREAKING \u2013 Small print on Labour\u2019s Brexit betrayal reveals its ‘EU youth’ visa, for under 35s, will include migrants’ family members too (via @TheSun<\/a>) https:\/\/t.co\/eBqhJxEMml<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Joe Rich (@joerichlaw) May 20, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But the moment you suggest similar mobility with Europe \u2013 you know, the continent right next to us \u2013 it\u2019s suddenly treated like a covert operation to rejoin the EU by stealth. It\u2019s not. It\u2019s not \u201copen borders.\u201d It\u2019s not permanent. It doesn\u2019t give anyone a magic citizenship pass. It\u2019s structured, limited and mutually beneficial.<\/p>\n

What it is, is a boost to British soft power. It allows young people to gain experience, broaden horizons and build skills \u2013 exactly the kind of thing we should be encouraging in an economy that claims to value global trade and innovation.<\/p>\n

And yes \u2013 Brits benefit too. This isn\u2019t just about \u201cletting them in.\u201d It\u2019s about letting our own young people back out into a world we spent decades integrating with before slamming the door shut. It\u2019s not a reversal. It\u2019s a long-overdue correction.<\/p>\n

Are we paying the EU again?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes \u2013 just a bit. To participate in things like veterinary cooperation, science funding (like Horizon) and travel tech infrastructure, we chip in. Just like we do with any other international programme. It\u2019s transactional, not tribute. You pay to be part of systems that save you money, reduce friction, or make things work. This is not Brussels stealing your lunch money \u2013 it\u2019s Britain finally paying the entry fee to a club it still wants to access occasionally.<\/p>\n

Why are people like Farage and Johnson so angry?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Because the grift depends on outrage. Always has. The moment Brexit starts to function \u2013 even imperfectly, even in small, incremental ways \u2013 the myth begins to unravel. It exposes how little actual planning went into the promises. How shallow the slogans were. How quickly the champions of \u201ctake back control\u201d fled the room the moment control required responsibility.<\/p>\n

\n

Two-tier Keir is once again going back on his promises to the people of this country \u2013 by making us non-voting members of a two-tier European Union. Under this appalling sell out of a deal the UK will have to accept EU law on a host of measures from food standards to emissions\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014 Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) May 19, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

People like Farage and Johnson thrive in chaos. In division. In theatrical declarations of betrayal. They need the system to stay broken because it justifies their perpetual state of indignation. If things improve \u2013 even modestly \u2013 it threatens the entire ecosystem of grievance they\u2019ve built their careers on.<\/p>\n

This deal is the opposite of that. It\u2019s not dramatic. It\u2019s not romantic. No one\u2019s going to write campaign jingles about smoother veterinary paperwork or faster passport queues. But it works. It reflects compromise. It involves trade-offs. In other words: it\u2019s boring, grown-up governance.<\/p>\n

And boring, grown-up governance is kryptonite to populists. Because it reminds people that complex problems require nuanced solutions \u2013 not slogans shouted from the deck of a fishing boat.<\/p>\n

Is this the \u201cbeginning of the end of Brexit\u201d?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not remotely. It doesn\u2019t rejoin the single market or customs union. It doesn\u2019t restore free movement. It doesn\u2019t eliminate the red tape that now governs services, finance and many other exports. But it\u2019s the first time we\u2019ve seen an acknowledgement that the current arrangements are hurting real people \u2013 and a willingness to fix some of it. It\u2019s not a reversal. It\u2019s triage.<\/p>\n

Is this deal perfect?<\/strong><\/p>\n

No. It\u2019s not perfect and it shouldn\u2019t be treated like some great diplomatic renaissance. There\u2019s still a long way to go. A serious, future-facing deal would include deeper regulatory cooperation, mutual recognition of professional qualifications, proper support for services and higher education and simplified rules for cross-border business. This one doesn\u2019t get us all the way there.<\/p>\n

But perfection was never on the table \u2013 and pretending it was only serves those who want the whole thing to fail.<\/p>\n

What we\u2019ve got instead is a solid, grown-up, pragmatic agreement. It doesn\u2019t undo the damage of Brexit, but it does something that\u2019s been missing for years: it starts to repair it. Not with fanfare. Not with bluster. But with real, quietly useful policy decisions that reduce friction and help people get on with their lives.<\/p>\n

And if that sounds boring, good. After years of shouting, empty promises and weaponised nostalgia, boring is what we need. Because if the loudest Brexiteers are foaming at the mouth, it usually means the grown-ups are finally getting back in the room.<\/p>\n

Brexit was always going to be messy. You can\u2019t rip out four decades of political, legal and economic integration and expect to emerge with your trousers uncreased. The promises were always easier to make than deliver \u2013 especially when those promises involved maximum benefits with zero obligations.<\/p>\n

This deal doesn\u2019t erase the damage. It doesn\u2019t undo the lost trade, repair the trust, or bring back the influence we once had. But it does represent the first serious, sober attempt to manage the consequences like adults \u2013 not ideologues, not fantasists, not flag-wavers shouting from the sidelines.<\/p>\n

It says, \u201cThis is where we are \u2013 so how do we make it less painful?\u201d That\u2019s not betrayal. That\u2019s governance.<\/p>\n

If that offends the people who voted for the fantasy version of Brexit \u2013 the one where we ruled the waves, exported jam to Australia and never had to compromise again \u2013 then perhaps the problem isn\u2019t with the deal. Perhaps it\u2019s with the story they were sold. Or the fine print they chose not to read.<\/p>\n

This article was first shared on X and republished with kind permission.<\/p>\n

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