Sir Vince Cable has lashed out at hardline Brexit “martyrs” who view economic pain as a price worth paying to break away from Brussels.
The Liberal Democrat leader accused them of “masochism” and claimed older Brexit voters with views “coloured by nostalgia from an imperial past” had imposed their will on a younger generation more comfortable with the European Union.
Meanwhile, Whitehall sources sought to play down speculation that Theresa May would be prepared to pay a Brexit bill of £36 billion as part of a deal to strike a comprehensive free trade agreement with Brussels.
Piece in .@mailonsundaySTL. on #Brexit 'martyrs' in .@YouGov poll who think economic cost is worth paying. Mainly elderly: others will pay
— Vince Cable (@vincecable) August 5, 2017
The so-called “divorce” bill has been one of the main stumbling blocks in Brexit negotiations between the Government and Brussels.
The Sunday Telegraph reported that the Government will only agree to pay the sum if the EU treats it as part of a deal on future relations – including the comprehensive trade agreement sought by the Prime Minister.
The EU’s stance is that trade talks cannot begin until significant progress has been made on the financial settlement, citizens’ rights and Northern Ireland.
This Conservative Brexit Government doesn't have a plan A – let alone a plan B https://t.co/sybxZlqTJQ via @LibDems
— Vince Cable (@vincecable) August 5, 2017
The newspaper quoted a senior Whitehall source as saying the EU’s position was that the fee should be 60 billion euro (£54 billion), but the “actual bottom line” was 50 billion euro (£45 billion), the UK’s position was 30 billion euro (£27 billion) and “the landing zone is 40 billion (£36 billion) even if the public and politicians are not all there yet”.
A senior Government source told the Press Association that “no such figure has been agreed” while another Whitehall source said it was “speculation”.
Officials at the Brexit department would not comment on the report but referred to David Davis’ acknowledgement that the Government would work with Brussels “to determine a fair settlement of the UK’s rights and obligations.
61% of Leave voters say significant economic damage would be a price worth paying for bringing Britain out of the EU https://t.co/14IqxkY5kN pic.twitter.com/LrLq4iPJ0d
— YouGov (@YouGov) August 1, 2017
Lib Dem leader Sir Vince’s strongly worded attack on Brexit “martyrs” came after a YouGov poll suggested 61% of Leave voters would consider significant damage to the British economy to be a price worth paying for leaving the EU.
Writing in the Mail on Sunday he said: “To describe such masochism as ‘martyrdom’ is dangerous. We haven’t yet heard about ‘Brexit jihadis’ but there is an undercurrent of violence in the language which is troubling.”
Sir Vince, 74, added that the “self-declared martyrs” appeared to be “predominantly elderly”.
Age a key factor: older Leave voters more likely to say economic damage/job losses a price worth paying for Brexit https://t.co/14IqxkY5kN pic.twitter.com/pwJzGEEDBF
— YouGov (@YouGov) August 1, 2017
“The martyrdom of the old comes cheap, since few have jobs to lose,” he said.
The housing market, pensions and government policies – including some while he was in the Cabinet – had contributed to a “growing rift” between the generations.
“The old have comprehensively shafted the young. And the old have had the last word about Brexit, imposing a world view coloured by nostalgia for an imperial past on a younger generation much more comfortable with modern Europe,” he said.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel