Nigel Farage and Arron Banks have lashed out at the government after Theresa May agreed a Brexit divorce deal early Friday morning.
The former Ukip leader described the process as a “humiliation”, despite cheers from Brexiteer MPs such as Michael Gove and Andrea Leadsom.
Leave.EU campaign group founder Banks labelled Brexiteer MP and former International Development Secretary Priti Patel a “traitor” for celebrating the deal.
Farage’s tweet about “humiliation” was in stark contrast to his rhetoric during the Brexit campaign and triumphant celebration of its result.
May said the deal “had required give and take on both sides” and after “some tough negotiations” she had agreed the ‘divorce bill’, which is expected to total up to £50bn.
She also guaranteed rights for EU and UK citizens, including a continuing, time-limited role for the European Court of Justice, and new words on the crucial issue of Northern Ireland.
It was clinched after May rushed to Brussels on Friday to meet with European Commission president Jean Claude Juncker.
The agreement was announced early on Friday morning and means “sufficient progress” has been made for Brexit talks can move to the second phase of trade and security.
Farage later told The Telegraph: “The European Court of Justice will be the ultimate arbiter of EU citizens’ rights. This is not acceptable.”
He did not elaborate on further objections to the 15-page agreement but he previously said “no deal is better than a bad deal” and called paying tens of billions to leave “a very bad deal” on his LBC show.
Last night as an agreement loomed, Farage was tweeting May had to stand down to “save Brexit”.
The Leave.EU campaign group was also angry, tweeting Britain’s commitments to prevent a hard border in Ireland meant Britain was “leaving in name only”.
It pointed to section 49, in which Britain undertakes to “maintain full alignment” with the Single Market and Customs Union if no solution to the border can be found.
The deal seemed to have boosted May’s standing among her fractious Cabinet, with ministers on both sides of the referendum campaign praising her.
Environment Secretary Michael Gove, one of the most prominent Leavers in the Cabinet, told BBC Radio 4′s Today programme on Friday: “Theresa May has won. This deal allows us to move onto the trade discussions.”
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “Extraordinary achievement by Theresa May today.
“Against all odds a deal delivered that confirms she is probably the only person in Britain able to deliver a good & clean Brexit.
“Time for Theresa May’s critics to recognise her extraordinary strength and resilience which, whatever the hurdles ahead, will deliver stage 2 just as it has delivered stage 1.”