Nigel Farage: Parliament doesn't represent public opinion on Brexit
Most members of parliament don't accurately represent the opinions of the nation when talking about leaving the European Union (EU), former Brexit Party Leader Nigel Farage said Saturday.
Appearing on "CAVUTO Live" with host Neil Cavuto, Farage said that while he wants Brexit "more than anybody," the right move here would be to leave Boris Johnson's Brexit and "take back our independence," claiming Johnson's deal is more like a new EU treaty that would bind Britain and lead to more negotiations and acrimony.
"I'm pleased that Boris wants Brexit, but this is just not the right way," he told Cavuto. "But, he's not the real problem. The real problem, of course, is that we have a country that voted 'leave' and still wants to leave; most members of parliament want to remain."
In a major blow to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, U.K. lawmakers voted Saturday to postpone a decision on whether to back his Brexit deal with the European Union, throwing a wrench into government plans to leave the bloc at the end of this month.
At a special session of Parliament intended to ratify the deal, lawmakers voted 322-306 to withhold their approval on the Brexit deal until legislation to implement it has been passed.
The vote aims to ensure that the United Kingdom can’t crash out of the EU without a divorce deal on the scheduled October 31 departure date. However, it means Johnson must ask the EU to delay Britain’s departure since Parliament previously passed a law compelling him to do that if a Brexit divorce deal were not passed by Saturday.
The government still hopes it can pass the needed legislation by the end of the month so the U.K. can leave on time.
"Opinion polling is very, very clear," said Farage. "If you give people the binary choice 'do you want to leave with a clean break Brexit or remain in the European Union' there is a very, very comfortable lead for those who want to leave -- bigger than we had in the referendum three years ago."
"So, the British public are firm on this. Our politicians don't reflect it," he stated.
"My message to the prime m inister is rather, Boris, than pushing through a very bad new EU treaty better to play for time, let's get a new general election and then hopefully we get a parliament that reflects the country and not just the career politicians currently sitting behind me," he concluded.
"I'm pleased that Boris wants Brexit, but this is just not the right way," he told Cavuto. "But, he's not the real problem. The real problem, of course, is that we have a country that voted 'leave' and still wants to leave; most members of parliament want to remain."
In a major blow to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, U.K. lawmakers voted Saturday to postpone a decision on whether to back his Brexit deal with the European Union, throwing a wrench into government plans to leave the bloc at the end of this month.
At a special session of Parliament intended to ratify the deal, lawmakers voted 322-306 to withhold their approval on the Brexit deal until legislation to implement it has been passed.
The vote aims to ensure that the United Kingdom can’t crash out of the EU without a divorce deal on the scheduled October 31 departure date. However, it means Johnson must ask the EU to delay Britain’s departure since Parliament previously passed a law compelling him to do that if a Brexit divorce deal were not passed by Saturday.
The government still hopes it can pass the needed legislation by the end of the month so the U.K. can leave on time.
"Opinion polling is very, very clear," said Farage. "If you give people the binary choice 'do you want to leave with a clean break Brexit or remain in the European Union' there is a very, very comfortable lead for those who want to leave -- bigger than we had in the referendum three years ago."
"So, the British public are firm on this. Our politicians don't reflect it," he stated.
"My message to the prime m inister is rather, Boris, than pushing through a very bad new EU treaty better to play for time, let's get a new general election and then hopefully we get a parliament that reflects the country and not just the career politicians currently sitting behind me," he concluded.