Theresa Villiers brands "unreformable" EU as plan to create country named Europe
The EU is primarily a political project to create a “country called Europe”, Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers has said.
The EU is primarily a political project to create a “country called Europe”, Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers has said.
The former MEP described the European Union as “unreformable” as she made her case for Brexit during a Scottish Vote Leave event in Glasgow today.
She said Britain had signed up to be a member in an “admission of defeat” that the country was facing “chronic decline”, but it was now time for “self-governing democracy” to return.
Ms Villiers is one of a number of Cabinet ministers campaigning for the UK to vote to leave in the June referendum.
She said: “The six years I spent in Brussels as an MEP...those six years
convinced me of one very clear thing - that the European Union is unreformable.
“It is, and always has been and always will be, primarily a political project.
“It is all about creating a country called Europe.
“However hard we in this country work, whatever we do, whatever we say, we can never change that.
“Joining the EU in the 70s was in many ways an admission of defeat based on the perception that Britain was destined for chronic decline.
“That is a situation a million miles removed from the one that we face today.
“We can stand on our own two feet - it is time to become a self-governing democracy once again.”
Ms Villiers also spoke about her decision to campaign against the UK Government.
“I thought long and hard about this,” she told Scottish Vote Leave supporters.
“I really didn't want to find myself in this position, but I felt this was a question which was so fundamental...I couldn't equivocate, I couldn't compromise.
“Because I fundamentally believe we are better off, safer, more secure, more prosperous if this country is outside the European Union.”
As the official referendum campaign gets under way, she said she believes the establishment will “come up with all sorts of scare stories” over the next 10 weeks.
“But the public will judge the situation on the facts,” she added.
Among Ms Villiers' arguments for leaving the EU is Britain's ability to trade in other markets.
Scotch Whisky, she said, would benefit from new trade deals with countries such as India.
“I am convinced that our economy, our businesses will be better off, and have greater opportunities if we leave the EU, because in that scenario we will still do business in the EU because we will still have a trade agreement with them,”' she said.
“But we will also be able to negotiate trade agreements with places like India where, at the moment, Scottish businesses find it much harder to trade because of the tariffs that they are up against, because there is no trade deal - the EU has not been able to deliver one.”