EU must be ready to send aid to Brexit Britain, says former PM of Finland – Telegraph.co.uk

The European Union must stand ready to send aid to Britain when it is crippled by food and supplies shortages because of Brexit, the former prime minister of Finland has said.

Alexander Stubb, who unsuccessfully ran to be European Commission president in 2019, said the EU should help a stricken UK even though it was all Britains fault.

He said, "If the EU would play its cards right, it would offer assistance to the UK now or later when the supply of basic goods and services takes a turn for the worse.

This is what friends do, even if the pain has been self-inflicted, stupid and unnecessary.

Mr Stubb, who led Finland for 11 months and was the countrys finance minister, predicted the only way to save Britain would be for it to renew closer ties with the EU.

The former MEP and vice-president of the European Investment Bank suggested that the offer of help could tempt the UK back into the fold.

Mr Stubbs comments echo a widely held view in Brussels that the fuel, supply and truck driver shortages that have hit the UK are a direct consequence of the decision to leave the EU and its Single Market.

EU diplomats claim Northern Ireland has not faced similar problems because a Brexit treaty keeps it within the Single Market.

Mr Stubb, who is well known for his predilection for Iron Man endurance contests, said that things were only going to get worse for the UK the longer it stayed away from its former EU allies.

"Sorry, but the situation in the UK is going to go from bad to worse with no respite in sight, the 53-year-old said.

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EU must be ready to send aid to Brexit Britain, says former PM of Finland - Telegraph.co.uk