Jacob Rees-Mogg says EU was ‘very cross’ about Brexit

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Fergus Finlay, former Chief Executive of the charity Barnardos in Ireland, warned the UK its economy would “dwindle” after Brexit and the nation’s leadership would be seen as “an international joke” following it’s decision to sever ties with the EU. He said Britain’s decision to unshackle itself from the bloc had seen it go from being “a recognised world leader to an inward-looking, claustrophobic and closed version of its former self” in just a short number of years.

Writing for the Irish Examiner, he said: “More and more I believe that for Britain, the end of history is at hand.

“To put it another way, when the history of this century is written, Brexit will be seen to have been a terrible mistake that doomed ‘Great Britain’ to irrelevance.”

In a scathing rant, Mr Finlay said there was a “connection between Brexit and Britain’s growing irrelevance” which was proved by the UK’s response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis.

He wrote: “Johnson’s hero, apparently, is Winston Churchill. The contrast between then and now was painfully clear.

“But what makes the connection between Brexit and Britain’s growing irrelevance even starker is the official British response to the refugee crisis.”

Mr Finlay, a former senior member of the Irish Labour Party, said “no government in Europe has done less to help” those fleeing war in Ukraine after Vladimir Putin’s vicious invasion.

“But in Britain, Brexit rules. Under Johnson’s leadership, Britain decided to take back control of its own destiny, control its own borders, and look after itself.

“It’s not a surprise that Boris Johnson a few days ago compared Ukraine’s struggle for freedom with Britain’s decision to free itself from the cruel yoke of European membership.

“That’s why thousands of British families who have offered to take refugees are still waiting. It’s why international charities are in despair.

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“Why is Britain alone in insisting on visas for Ukrainian refugees? Brexit is the real reason – everyone knows that.”

The UK’s Homes for Ukraine scheme has been criticised for delays after thousands of Britons signed up to house Ukrainian refugees, who have been met with lengthy waits to be granted visas.

Mr Finlay added: “In a few short years, Britain has gone from being a recognised world leader to an inward-looking, claustrophobic and closed version of its former self.

“The phrase ‘lions led by donkeys’ dates from the First World War. It is often used to contrast the bravery of ordinary troops with the incompetence of their generals.”

A spokesman for the Home Office said: “We are moving as quickly as possible to ensure that those fleeing Ukraine can find safety in the UK through the Ukraine Family Scheme and Homes For Ukraine.

“We have streamlined the process so valid passport holders do not have to attend in-person appointments before arriving in the UK, simplified our forms and boosted caseworker numbers, while ensuring vital security checks are carried out.

“We continue to speed up visa processing across both schemes, with almost 30,000 visas issued in the last three weeks alone and thousands more expected to come through these uncapped routes.”

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