Britain must learn from Donald Trump to harness the full potential of Brexit, Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg has said.
The former Cabinet Secretary said the new US President has shown in one day what can be done whereas Britain has “not yet scratched the surface” since we left the EU five years ago.
Writing in the Daily Express the ardent Brexiteer warns that an excess of EU rules remain in place as well as high energy prices and environmental restrictions which are holding back growth.
But the former Brexit minister said it’s “not too late” for the UK to use our hard-won freedoms to turbocharge the economy.
“Trump is showing that a sovereign state can be independent and put its people first. The UK ought to use Brexit to do the same,” Sir Jacob said.
His progressive assessment comes just days before the 5th anniversary of Britain’s historic departure from the European Union.
“High energy prices are damaging British industry, the steel industry is closing and car manufacturers are undermined by the prospect of green restrictions,” Sir Jacob said.
“All these rules ought to go, and the climate change act repealed.
“When we left the EU, we were free from the emissions trading scheme, which penalises manufacturing. Foolishly we replaced it with something similar, it should go.
“The proposal to move to 80% electric vehicles, devastating for successful car manufacturers , must also go in line with Donald Trump’s removal of a similar plan in the United States.”
Aping Trump’s “drill baby, drill” mantra Sir Jacob says Britain should adopt a “frack baby frack” approach to bring down energy bills for millions of people.
“We are sitting on trillions of cubic feet of gas, which we could extract cheaply to provide electricity and gas heating of an affordable kind,” he said.
Sir Jacob is also urging the government to tear up EU rules protecting newts and badgers to boost construction to put “people first”.
And he urges that all remaining tariffs be phased out as Britain still puts a tax on goods we do not produce such tomatoes to protect EU growers.
“It is not our concern to protect farmers on the continent,” he says.
“These could go immediately and because we cannot leave our own farmers in the lurch, all tariffs ought to go, but phased out over the next 10 years.
“This would save consumers money on food and clothing and so help ameliorate the recent inflation.”
Britain finally left the EU on January 31, 2020. It marked a huge victory for this newspaper, following a tireless crusade to free us from the shackles of Brussels.
One major Brexit bonus was Britain’s ability to join a massive £12 trillion Asia-Pacific trade pact, according to Boris Johnson.
The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) means the UK has greater access to a club of more than 500 million people.
Speaking last month the former Prime Minister said: “Joining the CPTPP is the way ahead for free-trading global Britain and a huge Conservative achievement.
“Joining these fast growing economies in the Pacific is only possible because of Brexit – because we took back control of our laws and our tariffs.
“It would be a huge mistake to drift back into the orbit of Brussels and sacrifice our economic independence.”
