He’s pulling our leg! Vince warns Brexit may hit Strictly
sTRicTLY come Dancing yesterday emerged as sir vince cable’s latest weapon in the fight against Brexit.
The Liberal Democrat leader criticised the state of the negotiations and warned that some of the show’s cast could ‘disappear’ after Britain leaves the EU because they are from Europe.
sir vince, an enthusiastic Remainer, insisted this was even more reason for a second referendum – or People’s vote – on the final deal brought back from Brussels by Theresa May.
But his comments infuriated Brexiteers, who accused him of encouraging Brussels to offer Britain a bad deal. sir vince, who was a strictly contestant in 2010, was speaking to the Daily Mail ahead of a meeting in Brussels with Michel Barnier.
Apart from urging the EU’s chief negotiator to prepare for a second referendum, he also said he would be seeking assurances about the future of EU nationals in the UK and vice versa – not least on behalf of his former strictly colleagues.
‘it’s one of the issues i will raise with Michel Barnier,’ he said. ‘We’re assuming that they will get settled status, but what will be the rights of Europeans?
‘ The rate things are going with the negotiations, you can see half the strictly cast disappearing after we leave, which would be a disaster. My dance partner was from new Zealand, but you’ve got the Europeans there. People weren’t told about these things.’
The current series of strictly features dancers Graziano Di Prima and Giovanni Pernice, both from italy, Gorka Marquez from spain and Aljaz skorjanec, who was born in slovenia. nadiya Bychkova is from Ukraine, which enjoys visa-free travel with the bloc. sir vince, a keen ballroom dancer, appeared on the christmas 2010 edition of strictly come Dancing, dancing the foxtrot with partner Erin Boag. he performed well, scoring 36/40 from the judges.
he insisted his visit to Brussels was not undermining the Government and that he felt ‘sympathy’ for the Prime Minister for having to manage a ‘party at war’. sir vince said a second referendum should be a choice between the deal Mrs May secures or remaining in the EU.
he conceded that such a vote would most certainly mean delaying Britain’s exit date of March 29 next year.
sir vince’s intervention infuriated Brexiteers. Tory MP Philip Davies said: ‘it is outrageous that vince cable is waltzing off to the EU to encourage them not to offer us a good deal due to his EU-fanaticism. he would then be the first to complain if a good deal is not secured.
‘if strictly is the best reason he can muster to stay in the EU then it is clear why we are leaving.’ d.churchill@dailymail.co.uk