Video
Brexiteer says 'nation would never forgive us' if they vote for 'bad' Brexit deal
talkRADIO presenter Mark Dolan (L) and Brexiteer MP Andrew Bridgen - Credit: Twitter
A Brexiteer has said "the nation would never forgive us" if he and fellow Eurosceptic MPs voted in favour of Boris Johnson's Brexit deal.
Tory backbencher and member of the hardline anti-EU group, the ERG, said he was not ready to sign a deal 'just because' of an impending deadline.
Appearing on talkRADIO, Bridgen said: "If we signed up to a deal that wasn't what we thought it was, I don't think the nation would ever forgive us."
Bridgen's remark comes as reports emerge of the UK and EU having agreed to a Brexit agreement.
Elements of the British media report Johnson and EU president Ursula von der Leyen sealed a deal Wednesday night and are now finalising it.
Johnson is expected to announce the agreement, which is rumoured to be some 2,000 pages long, in a press conference on Christmas Eve.
But Brexiteers like Bridgen say there is not enough time to scrutinise it.
Most Read
- 1 A chapter is over for Britain, for good or ill
- 2 The biggest scandal may be that no rules were broken
- 3 ‘I should not have listened to Cameron’ – Former European Commission president
- 4 Opposition parties push for probe into Boris Johnson's conduct following viral video
- 5 Russell Kane: Why working class people like Boris Johnson
- 6 The deep-seated issues beneath Sofagate
- 7 Welsh government takes Westminster to court over post-Brexit bill
- 8 BBC journalist admits being 'haunted' by fear broadcaster 'built up' Nigel Farage and UKIP
- 9 The only Brexit export boom is from UK businesses rushing to Europe
- 10 Alan Duncan should have spoken out sooner about Boris Johnson
"People need to remember that a long-term treaty like this isn't just for Christmas and, if you legislate in haste, you'll always regret it," he warned.
"We must have the proper scrutiny."
The Tory backbencher called for a four-week period to analyse the deal, asserting: "It is that important [we get] the time we need to genuinely analyse a 2,000 page treaty we've never seen before."
Bridgen is understood to be among 20 Tory MPs expected to vote down a Brexit deal when it comes to the House of Commons next vote.
Allies of prime minister have calculated that a significant proportion of the backbenchers would vote against any deal, regardless of the content in the agreement.
Among the ERG 'Spartans' that Number 10 fears will vote against will include Mark Francois, former party leader Iain Duncan Smith and Peter Bone.
Become a Supporter
The New European is proud of its journalism and we hope you are proud of it too. We believe our voice is important - both in representing the pro-EU perspective and also to help rebalance the right wing extremes of much of the UK national press. If you value what we are doing, you can help us by making a contribution to the cost of our journalism.
