Brexit MEPs have literally turned their backs on the EU. Their actions may cast a pall over the UK’s chances of “renegotiating” its exit deal.
The Brexit Party’s stunt this week – where 29 newly elected MEPs turned their backs while the EU’s anthem, Ode to Joy, was played (EUROPE 12287/3) – was not the first of its kind. British MEPs have been regularly giving the proverbial finger to the EU at the opening of European Parliament plenary sessions. But the move is the latest sign of the increasing friction between the EU and UK, which doesn’t bode well for completing a Brexit deal by a 31 October deadline.
Spanish EPP MEP Esteban González Pons hit back at the MEPs, saying the EU “would never” turn its back on the British national anthem. “That’s the difference between us,” he said.
But it wasn’t an isolated incident. One of the party’s MEPs (and former Conservative minister) Ann Widdecombe then likened the EU to a slave owner, a feudal baron and a colonial power, telling her colleagues, “We are going and we are glad to be going.” Interestingly, she has secured membership of the Parliament’s civil liberties committee.
And British MEPs were not exactly given a warm welcome by their (albeit temporary) colleagues. Newly elected British Green deputy Magid Magid – who describes himself as a “a black Muslim refugee” – was asked to leave the European Parliament on Tuesday when he showed up for work. In the Independent newspaper, he wrote that while it “wasn’t fun”, he’d “like to think it was a misunderstanding”, and said racism is endemic in every country in the world.
But it’s not just the symbolism that will push the two sides apart. EU officials have been worried for some time about how UK MEPs and diplomats will approach their final months as part of the EU. While the UK has promised to participate in EU decision-making in a spirit of “sincere cooperation”, several EU sources say UK officials have attempted to influence discussions on everything from trade to the EU budget.
EUobserver.com’s Peter Teffer has a detailed piece outlining the potential conflicts of interest arising from Brexit MEPs’ committee memberships. A total of 27 of the 29 have joined a committee – everyone except Annunziata Rees-Mogg and party leader Nigel Farage – while continuing to hold other jobs that could potentially influence their work in Parliament.
The party’s Robert Rowland, a hedge fund manager, will continue to receive income from his day job, even as he sits on the powerful economic affairs committee (ECON). His colleagues Richard James Tice and Jake Pugh, also on the ECON committee, will also keep on their roles in the financial sector. MEP June Alison Mummery has joined the fisheries committee (though only as a substitute member) while remaining director of fisheries supplier BFP Eastern.
Back in London, the likelihood of a no-deal Brexit has continued to increase, with both candidates for the conservative party leadership refusing to rule it out. However, they may face a revolt from their own party members, who are mulling whether to hold a confidence vote in the new leader or eventually introduce legislation to prevent the UK crashing out of the EU on 31 October.
It goes to show, though, that not all UK politicians are turning their back on Europe. Whether it will make a difference is another story. (Sarah Collins)