Denis MacShane is a former Minister of Europe and was a Labour MP for 18 years.
Curry house owners are rightly up in arms as they now realise the full extent of the Leave campaign’s deception.
Weeks before the 2016 referendum three Brexit fanatics, all of whom have since served in the cabinet – Priti Patel, Boris Johnson and Michael Gove – launched a “save our curry houses” campaign.
They told leaders of the UK’s £4.3 billion curry house industry that if they threw their network of employees and family members behind Vote Leave they would be rewarded by an end free movement from the EU, opening doors for curry house chefs and workers from Bangladesh, Pakistan and India.
They were understandably incensed, therefore, when David Davis refused to rule out preferential treatment for EU citizens to come and work in the UK continuing while Commonwealth citizens from Asia will still have to wait in queues for visas which are notoriously hard to obtain.
In 2016 Priti Patel promised the UK’s curry owners: “By voting to leave we can take back control of our immigration policies, save our curry houses and join the rest of the world.”
Vote Leave declared: “Every week 3-5 curry restaurants close down because of the government’s biased immigration policy. The EU forces us into the worst of both worlds: uncontrolled immigration from the EU, while we turn away talented people from the Commonwealth and the rest of the world.”
Now the curry world feels deceived and let down by the Brexiters. Mitu Chowdhury, speaking for the Bangladesh Caterers Association, said: “We attended every single campaign meeting with Boris Johnson, Priti Patel and Michael Gove and they said the British curry industry would be a first priority. We think we have been left down.” Granting preference to EU workers would “be a disaster”, he added, as curry restaurant owners are pushed to the back of the queues for visas.
Enam Ali, founder of the British Curry Awards, tells the Evening Standard: “On many occasions we recall Boris Johnson and others say it was very important that we could bring in chefs from outside the EU. But now it seems as if nobody is entertaining the idea.”
Johnson and other Brexiters in the cabinet are accepting that freedom of movement for Europeans who obtain jobs in the UK will continue during the so-called transition period. And if the UK wants any kind of a trade agreement with the EU David Davis has made clear that he cannot rule out preferential treatment for EU citizens post-Brexit.
This all seems part of Brexiters’ plan to push Brexit through at any cost. If that means betraying their pledge to curry restaurant owners so be it.
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Edited by Luke Lythgoe
Of course not, another lie along with £350 million a week to the NHS. The stupidity is that these businesses did not realise the racial undertones in all this.
“Won’t you come into my parlour said the spider to the fly”
Just another Boris misspeak, or in Old English, a Lie. At this rate, the word Boris will become shorthand for “an attempt to deceive or mislead, often by the use of complex and ambiguous English”. As in, “That’s a Boris”, “Are you Borising?” , “You are a Boris” in response to practically any definitive statement by Boris Johnson or his colleagues.
Amongst the hype and extremism which were part of the propaganda and misinformation we heard in the lead up to the Referendum, many claims have proved to be false. OK, project fear from Remain hasn’t resulted in Britain’s economy falling off a cliff….I mean the pound is only down 20% against the Euro, and growth is now the lowest in Europe…..so, it’s not a cliff, just a steep downward slope. On the Leave side, I can’t think of any of the promises which look likely to be met. As for the prophesies….Ho, Ho, Ho,….take back control! And give it to whom? Bojo? Mogg? Davis? Gove? Do me a favour. As for Fox’s promise of winning new business globally…..well, I hope he was a better doctor than global negotiator. But look on the bright side, looks like Peugeot will invest 90miilion pounds in Vauxhall motors. Well why not, we’ll soon have the lowest wage costs in Europe, along with the worst employment conditions. And of course all the top jobs will go to the French!
Three Brexit fanatics, all of whom have since served in the cabinet – Priti Patel, Boris Johnson and Michael Gove are principally devoted to self promotion and Brexit is a handy vehicle. All the Brexit team want is the UK back in their hands again along with the freedom to run it the way that they see fit. Without the pesky EU interfering with their plans.
George Brook,
It’s already happened. Jeremy Corbyn’s manifesto commitment to keep the benefits of the single market whilst ending Freedom of Movement was described by one commentator as “pure Boris”. I’ve also heard that any “terminological inexactitude” overheard in the vicinity of the House of Commons is now referred to as being “painted on the side of a bus”.