Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice has launched a blistering attack on the Conservative Party’s handling of Brexit, claiming voters have been “betrayed” over immigration promises on the fifth anniversary of Britain’s EU departure.
Speaking on Brexit day, Tice expressed deep disappointment with what he called the government’s failure to seize Brexit opportunities.
He told GB News: “The skies are grey with disappointment on Brexit day, because all the opportunity, it was the right thing to do with this great vote here.
“People are disappointed with the Tory government’s utter failure to take advantage of this great opportunity.
Richard Tice said that the “skies are grey with disappointment”
GB News
“People feel they’ve been betrayed, been let down because we are far from taking back control of the borders and reducing immigration, the Tories basically allow it to explode, to mushroom, which was a complete and utter opposite of what was promised.”
He added: “It’s a series of disappointments that this opportunity has not yet been taken advantage of, but it will still it’s still there. And frankly, it’s only Reform UK that will take advantage of it.”
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Speaking about immigration, Tice fumed at net migration reaching a record 900,000 in 2023.
He said: “What we’ve got to do is get rid of this dreadful Labour Government, who want to drag us closer to the failing, sclerotic, recessionary European Union.
“We need to take advantage of the much bigger opportunities, and also to make Brexit work for British citizens.
“Actually, if you restrict the labour supply, if you have net zero immigration, which is what we want, then guess what? Wages will go up for British citizens.
Net migration reached a record high
PA
“Opportunities will grow. You should only welcome highly skilled, highly qualified people who speak the language, who want to integrate and who want to work.
“Not this lunacy where we’ve just seen in recent days where you’ve got like 15,000 health and social care workers and 60,000 dependants coming with them, not working.
“That’s idiocy. No common sense whatsoever. So let’s have a smart immigration policy, not a mass daft immigration policy.”
The surge in numbers directly contradicts the Leave campaign’s promise that Brexit would help Britain take back control of its borders.
Non-EU immigration has reached an all-time high, with increases attributed to work visas and international students and their dependents.
These arrivals have largely filled the void left by the dramatic drop in EU immigration following the end of freedom of movement.
The government’s independent budget forecaster, the Office for Budget Responsibility, maintains that Brexit will reduce overall trade by 15 per cent in the long term.
