Former Thatcher minister Michael Heseltine absolutely slates Brexiteer Tory MPs in House of Lords

I am one of the few surviving members of Margaret Thatcher's first government and I am amazed to find myself sitting listening to the arguments from the front bench show as to why her greatest achievement should be sacrificed I'm a member Arthur Cofield not perhaps a household name today but if you look him up in Wikipedia you'll see his described as the father of the Common Market and that is right because Margaret is not a natural uh supporter of foreigners saw saw very clearly that the mistakes of the common agricultural policy must not be made again and so she sent Arthur Cofield to Brussels as a commissioner in order to make sure that British self-interests were dominant in the negotiations of the single Market single Market historically perhaps one of the most extraordinary successful Concepts ever developed by humankind yeah the implementation was difficult against difficult economic circumstances endless forms small employers at night having done all work themselves finding yet another form and the Flames fan by those two great Arbiters of British self-interest Rupert Murdoch and Conrad black there was a growing resentment and John Major inherited the problem go to it Tarzan he said to the Toby Party Conference and I was entrusted with the first serious attempt to look at the real effect of all these wealth destroying uncivilized burdens and regulations I went to it with all the enthusiasm that I hope you would expect of me and what did I do well I was entrusted with the minister of State in every Department to worm it away dig it all out I was set I set up public private sector committees for each field of activity led by some of the most strident critics of the regulatory process and I I actually uh published three thousand of these regulations not have any hidden from anybody let's know what we're all talking about in detail here they are great volumes of stuff and I did something else I wrote to every trade Association I said look I'm your man all you've got to do is to send me a regulation as drafted that is holding your members back undermining the country and send me a alternative draft and I'm no man I didn't get any replies of course the issue my Lord is Central to brexit once the decision was taken I thought against it it was important to get on and do something about the new world because the uncertainty was bound to be burdensome and frustrating and I thought it was absolutely right that the principal brexit is to put in charge of the show Boris Johnson David Davis Liam Fox they after all presumably knew what the opportunities were what needed to be done what was holding us back so they were in charge well that didn't last long um Jacob Lee smart wow with robe spearing fanaticism and a whole new government Department called exiting of the Year well let's not get carried away the name please on the door changed but with roads being fanaticism he threw himself into the task an uncharacteristic lack of History I think here because of course most people followed Louis XIV to the guillotine and well it's a generous and kind of world we live in today four Prime Ministers later Jacob Lee smiled back on the back benches dozens of ministers have lost their jobs and I say to my Noble friends on the front bench beware beware here today gone tomorrow as an home in the swing for anyone who becomes mild in this brexit Saga yeah I'm so sorry I'm so sorry my Noble Lord I am in favor of free and open discussion and I would not want to see silence in any way the floor is yours please ah well here we are another vacuum in the brexit debate but the essence of course is that all those empty generalizations all those promises all that new world there was nothing there they this bill demonstrates Beyond her Adventure that they did not know what they were doing so six years on they did not know what they were doing they have actually now created a giant question mark over whole Realm of actually the regulations that are the custodian that separates us from the law of the Jungle they are what defines a civilized society and at the time of economic stress when we need desperately to increase the levels of investment in our economy what have they provided a giant question mark for anyone seeking to know whether to spend a penny peace in the United Kingdom economy my Lord I beg of you do not let this legislation leave this place unscathed

Channel: PoliticsJOE

Views: 881,801

Keywords: Politics, UK politics, British politics, Parliament, Government, Westminster, Margaret Thatcher, Tory, Conservative, Brexit, EU, Retained EU Law, Brexiteers, Lord Heseltine, News, Politics news, Political news

Id: aEA3RF5UZc0

Length: 7min 6sec (426 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 07 2023