PM will leave us worse off than under EU: Brexit

The former Ukip leader said that under the Prime Minister’s plans it would be at least six or seven years before the UK can “reap any of the benefits of Brexit”.

He called on the Conservatives to remove Mrs May as Prime Minister and replace her with someone who genuinely believes in Brexit.

Speaking to ITV News political editor Robert Peston’s online series What Now?, Mr Farage said that Mrs May’s handling of the process of EU withdrawal had been “terrible, shocking, appalling”.

“All we’ve seen is a continual kicking of the can down the road and we are now at the point where the very best outcome, from a Leaver’s perspective, is that we leave the treaties at 11pm on March 29 next year, but stay so wrapped up in everything through transition that it will be at least six or seven years before we can reap any of the benefits from Brexit,” he said.

Mrs May’s decision to secure a 21-month transition following the official date of Brexit in March 2019 had sent a message to investors that Britain “hasn’t got a clue” what it wants, leading to a lack of certainty, said Mr Farage.

And he warned: “If she is still in power, transition will last for 10 years.”

Asked if the Tories should remove Mrs May as PM, he said: “Absolutely, of course, she’s a disaster.

“She’s boxed herself into a position now where we will, for the foreseeable future after March 29, actually be in a worse position than we were before we voted to leave. It’s ludicrous.”

Challenged by Mr Peston over whether he thought this “half in, half out” position “is worse than being in the EU”, Mr Farage replied: “Of course. We are not able to take any of the obvious benefits that could have come from it.”

Mr Farage said he was “shocked” to find after the 2016 referendum that the Government had made no plans to deliver Brexit, and said there had been “a complete lack of leadership” ever since.

The Ukip MEP added: “We need somebody at the top, a leader who actually believes what they are doing.

“The fundamental problem is we have this Prime Minister - who I think is probably the least sincere, weakest prime minister I have seen in my lifetime - doing a job she clearly doesn’t in her heart and soul believe in.”