IDS explains why EU single market 'DRAMATIC' choice for UK in fiery Lords crackdown
BREXITEER Iain Duncan Smith exploded at peers voting against the Government's Brexit Bill, condemning the vote as a "deliberate attempt to scupper" Britain's withdrawal from the European Union.
The seasoned eurosceptic argued that keeping Britain in the EU single market and customs union after Brexit would be the "worst of all worlds."
Earlier this week the House of Lords passed an amendment to the Government's EU Withdrawal Bill which could force Theresa May to seek the creation of a new customs union with the European Union.
But Mr Duncan Smith branded the vote as an attempt to patronise British voters: "Listening to the debate was really patronising as well.
"One after the other peers got up to patronise the British people, telling them that essentially they didn’t really know what they were voting for.
PARLIAMENT TV
"It was absolutely clear throughout the whole of the debate during the Brexit referendum that if you voted to Leave when the Brexit vote came up, it would mean leaving the single market and leaving the customs union."
Speaking to talkRADIO, the former Tory leader explained that keeping Britain in the customs union while a non-EU member would leave the country abiding by EU regulations without having a right to vote on legislation.
Mr Duncan Smith continued: "This vote by the Lords was, in essence, a deliberate attempt to scupper the whole Brexit process.
"Being a member of the customs union while being outside the European Union is literally the worst of all worlds because what you are bound to a process where the tariffs of pretty much every product are set without your say so."
This vote by the Lords was, in essence, a deliberate attempt to scupper the whole Brexit process.
He added being outside the customs union would give London the freedom to establish new trade agreements to favour Britain's financial services – a key component of the British economy.
Mr Duncan Smith said: "The key point about leaving was that you set your own trade arrangements with other countries and those trade deals being set by the UK will contain within them a much better proposal for financial services.
"It’s interesting to look at almost every deal the EU has done – and they haven’t done that many, let me tell you, with other countries - literally only about 50 to 60 percent contain any financial services arrangement or services generally whereas deals done by countries outside the European Union contain nearly 90 percent.
"That affects the UK much more dramatically than it does the other countries of Europe. It’s better for us outside.
"We get on with Europe, we trade with them, we have a trade arrangement."