Lawson: Nothing to fear from EU exit but fear itself

LORD Lawson yesterday declared Britain has ‘nothing to fear but fear itself’ from leaving the European Union.

The Tory grandee said the country would retain control of its destiny and stop having to send a net £10billion every year to Brussels.

In a speech to academics, the former Chancellor also insisted that British trade would prosper outside the EU.

For the past 15 months, the UK has exported more to counties outside the EU than to those who are members.

Yesterday Toyota announced it would keep making cars at its plant in Derbyshire even if the UK votes to leave, defying the doom-mongering of pro-EU campaigners.

Lord Lawson, who is leading the Tory campaign to quit the Brussels club, said UK concerns about red tape and meddling by Europe were being routinely ignored.

At King’s College London, he added:

‘Not a downside to Brexit’

‘The EU is a political project whose objectives we do not share. That objective is to create a United States of Europe. The EU is economically damaging and profoundly undemocratic.’

He cited the Council of Ministers, the EU’s main decision-making body.

On the 72 occasions when the UK has voted against a measure in the Council, it has gone on to become law. This has included 40 times since David Cameron entered Downing Street in 2010.

This is significantly more than any other country in the EU. Lord Lawson said: ‘That is a fact. A score-line of 0- 72 is not particularly brilliant and that is how it will continue.

‘There is not a downside to Brexit. If there is, it is trivial compared to the upside. We have nothing to fear but fear itself.’

With the polls neck and neck, Lord Lawson said he did not have the ‘faintest idea’ what the result of the referendum will be.

Anyone who pretended otherwise was ‘foolish’, added the peer. But he said that if the British were being asked now to join the EU, they would vote No.

He said what people overwhelmingly wanted was to become a self-governing nation again which would decide its own future.

Lord Lawson dismissed as ‘arrant nonsense’ the idea that the EU had helped to secure peace in Europe since the Second World War, saying this was the work of Nato.

He also attacked claims by the Prime Minister and the ‘remain’ campaign that staying was vital for national security.

The peer said: ‘ We would be just as able to deal with terrorism outside. In many ways more so. Our membership of Nato is nothing to do with our membership of the EU.

‘Five Eyes (intelligence sharing with the US and other countries) is nothing to do with the EU.’

At Westminster yesterday, Philip Hammond risked angering Tory euro- sceptics by warning that there are no guarantees Britain would have access to the continent’s free market if it leaves.

The Foreign Secretary said: ‘Britain benefits from the free trade agreements that have been negotiated by the European Union with third countries.

‘We could not guarantee that renegotiating such agreements with the UK would be a priority for all of those third countries if we were outside the EU.’ Euro-sceptic Cabinet ministers are unhappy that, under rules laid down by the Prime Minister, they cannot speak out in favour of leaving until his negotiations are complete while pro- EU colleagues can make their case.

Crucially, they will also have to wait until he has presented the results to the Cabinet.

This could create a gap of three or four days in which the PM would be able to sell his deal unanswered.

Ministers are pushing for him to fly back from Brussels as soon as the deal is struck in February or March and hold a Cabinet meeting on the same day.

In recent days, such pro-EU comments have been made by Mr Hammond, Environment Secretary Liz Truss and Energy Secretary Amber Rudd.

Mr Hammond also said MPs will vote on the date of the poll, expected in July or September.