Sir Michael Caine on Brexit: Better to be poor outside the EU than rich in it

Sir Michael Caine: "I'm a Brexiteer myself. Certainly."
PA
Katy Clifton18 October 2018
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Sir Michael Caine said he remains a Brexit supporter despite the impact it might have on the UK economy.

Speaking on Radio 4’s Today programme, the renowned actor said: "I don't listen to all these pundits. I'm a Brexiteer myself. Certainly.

“People say ‘Oh, you’ll be poor, you’ll be this, you’ll be that’. I say I’d rather be a poor master of my fate than having someone I don’t know making me rich by running it.”

The Dark Knight star’s comments come as Luxembourg’s prime minister Xavier Bettel said that time was running out for a deal, but said the EU27 were not under any pressure.

Sir Michael Caine: "I'm a Brexiteer myself. Certainly."
PA

"On March 29, it's game over," Mr Bettel said on Thursday.

"March 29 is the last day when the UK is a member of the EU so we have to have a deal before."

He said the EU27 would await word from chief negotiator Michel Barnier before deciding whether to hold a special Brexit summit or wait until the next scheduled summit in December, adding: "We are not under pressure."

"We know Theresa May is in a tricky situation because she has got huge pressure in the UK and at Westminster,” Mr Barnier added.

The British Prime Minister was yet again under huge pressure on Thursday after her key Brexit talks at the European Council concluded without a breakthrough.

Ms May was also facing a backlash from Tory Brexiteers after she indicated Britain’s transition out of the EU could be extended for a further year.

This would mean the UK remaining in the single market and customs union – as well as being subject to EU rules – for almost three years after “Brexit day” on March 29 next year.

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Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington said how much it would cost to extend the transition period was something that would have to be "teased out" during the negotiations.

Asked if it would only be for a few months, he told BBC’s Today: "Yes, that is certainly the intention. That is how we see it. That is something that is now in the mix with the negotiators."

Mr Lidington dismissed claims by some former Cabinet ministers that the details of the Irish backstop had not been clear when it was signed off in principle last year.

He said: "Cabinet ministers are sensible and responsible, intelligent people who look at the documents before they endorse them."

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