'Britain will have no standing internationally if we renege on Brexit'

8 September 2020, 12:10

Britain will have 'no standing' internationally if we renege on Brexit

This caller fears that if UK negotiators walk away from Brexit talks, we will end up without any authority on an international stage.

Jasmine told Maajid Nawaz that "if Britain reneges on any of the Brexit withdrawal terms...or on the Good Friday Agreement itself then as a nation we have no standing on the political stage and the UK's reputation will be shot to pieces."

Her claims come after the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier arrived in London to continue talks on Brexit, which continue to grow tense as the UK's counterparts threaten to walk away.

Jasmine argued if the UK is to renege on its own promise with the EU, "How will we be able to stand on the international stage and criticise nations such as Russia and China and India...for their violations and things that they're not internationally committing to?"

Maajid agreed with the arguments of the caller. "We've been criticising China and, if you think about it, it was effectively a withdrawal agreement," he posited.

"We withdrew from Hong Kong a bit like we're withdrawing from the EU so, when we withdrew from Hong Kong, we had a withdrawal agreement that they just broke and we are now very very upset with."

"Morally, we need to be able to criticise that without appearing as though we're being hypocritical," he added. Maajid asked the caller how the UK can go forward in negotiations.

"Britain has no choice but to stick to the Good Friday Agreement for the sake of trading with America," she said, admitting she couldn't think of another way forward.

"Britain has a renowned reputation around the world as being a beacon of hope for human rights," she said, and walking away from Brexit negotiations risks that reputation.