Leave-voting MP Nadine Dorries slams May's Brexit deal because UK won’t have seats in European parliament

'This is a very sad place to be'

Colin Drury
Saturday 17 November 2018 22:03 GMT
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Nadine Dorries: 'This deal gives us no voice, no votes, no MEPs, no commissioner'

Theresa May’s Brexit deal has been slammed by arch-leave MP Nadine Dorries – because it means the UK will be left without any Members of the European Parliament.

The Tory backbencher, who campaigned tirelessly to get the country out of Europe, said Ms May's deal would leave the UK without any influence in Europe.

“This is a very sad place to be,” she told Sky News. “But unfortunately, the future of the country and of our relationship with Europe is at stake. This deal gives us no voice, no votes, no MEPs, no commissioner.”

Her words were met with astonishment online.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is the quality of our politicians right now,” one Twitter user noted. “The intellect of a boiled cabbage.”

Author – and Remainer – JK Rowling was somewhat more succinct. She tweeted an emoji of a head exploding.

It is not the first admission to make voters wonder if leave-supporting politicians knew exactly what they were campaigning for during the referendum.

Just last week, leave voter and ex-Brexit secretary Dominic Raab let slip he “hadn’t quite understood” how heavily UK trade relies on the Dover-Calais Channel crossing.

Ms Dorries, the MP for mid-Bedfordshire, made her own comments during a longer interview in which she questioned Theresa May’s premiership.

“I think what the people want and what they’re certainly saying to me is that we need stronger leadership and we need a stronger team,” she said.

She later appeared to attempt to clarify her comments about MEPs.

In a Tweet posted on Saturday evening, she said the proposed deal was “worse than what we have now where at least we have a seat at the table and can fight our corner.”

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The Independent has contacted Ms Dorries for comment.

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