We voted Leave! Tory MPs fume as Macron invites UK to join ‘EU-lite’

TORY MPs last night launched a furious backlash at Emmanuel Macron’s invitation to Britain to join his proposed ‘EU-lite’ political community.

The French president has suggested creating a new club open to countries that are not members of the bloc – in which they can ‘adhere’ to Europe’s ‘core values’.

Despite Brexit, he said the UK ‘can have a place in this political community’.

This suggestion provoked anger from Tory MPs yesterday who accused Mr Macron of failing to understand why Britain left the bloc in the first place.

Former Brexit minister David Jones said: ‘The United Kingdom voted to leave the EU in order to make its own way in the world, and not simply to be a satellite of Brussels.

‘Macron has never understood that and, seemingly, never will.’

Tory former minister Shailesh Vara added: ‘History shows the EU doesn’t do “lite”. The British people voted in the biggest democratic vote in the UK’s history to leave the EU. That means leave. Nothing “lite” about it.’

Mr Macron made the comments as he warned that decades could pass before Ukraine joins the EU – and dismissed proposals to fast-track its entry.

In a speech to the European Parliament yesterday, the French president said: ‘The European Union, given its level of integration and ambition, cannot be the only way to structure the European continent in the short term.’

‘This new European organisation would allow democratic European nations that adhere to our core values to find a new space for political cooperation, security, energy cooperation, transport, investment, infrastructure, movement of people.’

Mr Macron, who was accused of snubbing Boris Johnson following his election win last month, later told journalists in Berlin: ‘The United Kingdom decided to leave our European Union but it can have a place in this political community.’

Downing Street confirmed there were ‘no plans’ for the UK to join an EU-lite group.

And a No10 spokesman added: ‘We believe that post-Brexit the UK is best placed to work in cooperation with our European partners.’