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Greg Evans
May 09, 2019
Brexit party candidate Ann Widdecombe has said that if Britain opted for a no-deal Brexit then it would be nothing compared to the sacrifices made during World War 2.
The former Conservative MP was speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today Programmeahead of the upcoming EU elections which are due to take place later this month.
Widdecombe, who has already drawn derision for joining Nigel Farage's already maligned party, told the show that although no-deal would pose some problems it would pale in comparison to the experiences that an entire generation went through between 1939 and 1945.
Whilst it really goes without saying that Brexit isn't as bad as dying for your country on the frontline, it's hardly a compelling reason for why Brexit is definitely a good idea.
The 71-year-old said:
It is as nothing compared to the sacrifice that we asked a previous generation to make in order to ensure Britain’s freedom.
My granny was bombed out in Plymouth. People lost sons and husbands and fathers and they did this because they wanted freedom.
Widdecombe's controversial comments have been highly criticised online, with many accusing her of spreading 'populist hyperbole' and highlighting that this was hardly the vision that Brexiteers painted in 2016.
2016 - Brexit means we get £350 million extra per week for the NHS. 2019 - Brexit won't be as big a sacrifice as t… https://t.co/e0STuim4eV— David Lammy (@David Lammy) 1557392580
2016: "Brexit will improve your lives" 2019: "It won't be as bad as that time that 450,000 of us fucking died" https://t.co/1BfgH6hBxy— James Felton (@James Felton) 1557393743
So, we've gone from no downsides and sunny uplands to - it won't be as bad as a world war. Idiocy. https://t.co/o3PAjSr90z— Brian Moore (@Brian Moore) 1557391192
@BBCr4today I despair.— David Aaronovitch (@David Aaronovitch) 1557390664
Ann Widdecombe chuntering on about betrayal of those who fought in the last war (they do love their wars, these Lea… https://t.co/YQWikZxOY7— trevorw1953 (@trevorw1953) 1557255483
This is true. It’s also a completely absurd and entirely irrelevant point, bafflingly often used by people with no… https://t.co/lnLPC432Js— Sid Lowe (@Sid Lowe) 1557392315
It has also been pointed out that Widdecombe, who was born in 1947 didn't actually live through the war and like the generation before, she hasn't had the misfortune of seeing what a divided Europe looks like.
@BBCr4today She wasn't born until 1947. The people like my dad, who actually lived through the war, recognise the i… https://t.co/lkYopagDF7— 🇳𝗮ꜟ𝖼𝘩 (@🇳𝗮ꜟ𝖼𝘩) 1557391502
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