Nigel Farage to join new "battle bus" campaign to oppose PM's soft-Brexit plan

Source: Xinhua| 2018-08-18 18:55:23|Editor: zh
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LONDON, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Nigel Farage, the British politician who co-founded the party set up to fight for Britain to leave the European Union, announced Saturday he is joining a national campaign to oppose Prime Minister Theresa May's soft-brexit plan.

Farage, who serves as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), helped set up the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) which is considered one of the driving forces that led to the 2016 EU referendum.

When it was announced that the result was a 52-48 split in favor of leaving the EU, Farage described it as Britain's independence day.

His new intervention in the bitter Brexit wrangle comes as leading politicians say the prospect of Britain leaving the EU with no-deal is getting stronger as a deadline looms on reaching a new trading deal.

Writing in the British Daily Telegraph Saturday Farage said he would be joining a nationwide campaign this fall by the pro-Brexit campaign group Leave Means Leave.

The group has hired a "battle bus" to travel Britain to win public support for a "clean Brexit".

In his article, Farage said: "It is now beyond doubt that the political class in Westminster and many of their media allies do not accept the EU referendum result. They refuse to acknowledge the wishes of the majority of those who took part in that historic plebiscite of 2016 by voting to leave the European Union."

Criticising May's blueprint for a soft Brexit as a "cowardly sell-out" Farage said a campaign is needed across the country that re-engages voters and restores their faith in Brexit.

"Starting from today, I have pledged to give Leave Means Leave my absolute and total support. Over the last few months scores of people have stopped me in the street to ask: "When are you coming back?" Well now you have your answer: I'm back."

Leave Means Leave, formed in 2016, is planning a nationwide blitz to rally opposition to the Prime Minister's plan for close custom links with Brussels.

Leave Means Leave co-founder John Longworth, former head of the British Chambers of Commerce, told the Daily Express in London Saturday: "We're going to relaunch our campaign to bring it to the people," accusing May of heading for Brexit in name only.

Businessman Richard Tice, co-chair of Leave Means Leave, said events around Britain and a blitz on social media were being planned this autumn.

"We won the battle of the referendum, but given what's happened in the two years since the referendum, we haven't won the war," said Tice.

Rival campaign group People's Vote, has called for the British public to be given a vote on any final deal brokered between the British government and the EU.

In a radio interview Saturday, Lord Kerslake, a member of the unelected House of Lords at Westminster said the consequences of a no deal would be so serious Parliament would have to seriously consider whether it could contemplate this.

He told the BBC Today program: "If the government can negotiate a good deal, then so be it. But if they can't, then we have to reopen the question of whether we go forward with Brexit at all. It is not too late to do that."

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