Speaker 1:
What is your reaction then to the results of the votes last night?
Nigel Farage:
Look, we voted to leave. We backed it up in a general election. 500 MPs voted for Article 50, which said we leave on the 29th of March, with or without a deal, and now we have a big majority in Parliament not to leave on March the 29th. I think Keith, your interviewee, who was from the remain camp, whether you remain or leave, we just want the government to get on with this, end this agony that we’re going through, and let’s get on with the rest of our lives. To me, the only logical thing we can now do is to leave on March the 29th with no-deal, because her deal has failed twice.
Speaker 3:
But the Prime Minister said-
Speaker 1:
[crosstalk 00:00:46] she’s doing her best to get her deal through, isn’t she?
Speaker 3:
… and she would say the logical way to get Brexit … in fact, if we delay there’s a danger that Brexit won’t happen … the logical way to get Brexit is to go for her deal.
Nigel Farage:
Well, the trouble with her deal … and by the way, it’s not a deal, it’s a new European treaty. I’ve read that treaty. I’ve studied it. In many ways, it’s even worse than being a member of the European Union, in terms of us being bound in to European rules, possibly in perpetuity. And the next phase of negotiations … and I met Mr. Barnier earlier this week … the next phase of negotiations could take another four years. I don’t think we wanna go through that process. This deal’s the wrong deal. The Prime Minister has made an horrendous mess of it. So let’s just leave. Let’s have a clean break in a few days time and get on with things.
Speaker 3:
But Parliament’s voted against no-deal. All the economic analysis says no-deal will be disastrous. You still want no-deal, because you want something to happen to take us towards Brexit. And you’re right, it does look like it might not be able to happen now. I think everybody who voted for it will be fearful of that this morning. But being practical, and thinking of those whose jobs and lives depend on it, everything that we looked at looks like no-deal will be disastrous.
Nigel Farage:
Look, we were told if we didn’t join the Euro, it’d be a disaster. We were told if we voted Brexit, half a million jobs would go immediately. The opposite has happened. This is not about some economic forecast, some doom mongering, this is a democratic choice of the British people in the biggest democratic exercise in our history. We want to become an independent country, free of being governed by Mr. Juncker and Mr. Tusk and all of these people, and Parliament is not delivering on its promises. That really is the crux of this problem.
Speaker 1:
Right. Well, the plan is now to get an extension to ensure the fact that they can do that, to try and sort out a deal. You’re not helping them, are you? You’ve campaigned for European leaders to refuse any extension. Is it true that you’ll now be speaking to them and saying that you think that they should stop the extension happening? That’s an act of sabotage, isn’t it?
Nigel Farage:
I don’t want four more years of agony, and there are many other European countries who would rather we just got on with this. And come on, I am trying to honor the way the British people voted in a referendum, in a general election, and a promise that a Prime Minister made over 100 times to the British people. I want us to leave on March 29th, and I think that European summit that takes place next Thursday, it could be a very dramatic evening. But if other countries say, “We don’t wanna go on with this, we just want Britain to leave,” then I think they’d be doing us the most enormous favor.
Speaker 1:
So you’re saying get out at any cost. Are you saying that you will be speaking to European leaders to ask them to refuse an extension?
Nigel Farage:
I’m gonna speak to other European leaders to say, “Look, do you really want four more years of this agony, which is Mr. Barnier’s proposal?” I’m not sure I’ve got much influence over them, but please don’t think just because a British Prime Minister turns up in Brussels next Thursday and asks for extension, it’s not guaranteed, I promise you.