This 2018 clip of Michael Gove guaranteeing food import standards hasn’t aged well
After some to-ing and fro-ing, parliament has rejected attempts to ensure future food imports maintain current UK food and welfare standards.
Farming standards activists, Save British Farming, shared this video of Michael Gove talking on BBC’s Countryfile, back in 2018.
It hasn’t aged well.
Imports must be to our standards? Absolutely, said @michaelgove *TWICE*. He guaranteed it. Yesterday he voted against. Watch. 👇😠 pic.twitter.com/1BMLyaDjcq
— Save British Farming 🇬🇧 (@BritishSave) October 13, 2020
“There’s no point in having high environmental and high animal welfare standards if you then allow them to be undercut from outside.”
Well, this is awkward.
Emily Thornberry twisted the knife.
Not just Gove, they all stood on it in their 2015 manifesto: “The economic security of our farmers depends on us upholding the highest standards of animal welfare. We will push for high animal welfare standards to be incorporated into international trade agreements.” Shameless. https://t.co/kvpGg3HiGt
— Emily Thornberry (@EmilyThornberry) October 13, 2020
We can’t really argue with these takedowns.
1.
It’s almost as if everything that was promised about Brexit was a lie. https://t.co/qLxb0SUMuZ
— David Schneider (@davidschneider) October 13, 2020
2.
Everything now leads inexorably towards a single, simple question: did they realise they were lying or did they not realise how little they understood?
We'll end up tossing a coin. https://t.co/3lpQLlOwPt— James O'Brien (@mrjamesob) October 13, 2020
3.
It's important to remember that nothing Michael Gove says means anything. Terribly polite, speaks very gently – and he will say anything, anything at all, to further whatever his agenda is at the time. https://t.co/11cw1DiBXk
— Ian Dunt (@IanDunt) October 13, 2020
4.
FAO @michaelgove this is video of one of the lies you have used to make the U.K. worse. https://t.co/3s4nuKshyp
— Marcoooos! (@marcusbrig) October 13, 2020
5.
"Wear the wheatsheaf," "Stand Up For British Farmers," "Clap for Carers" "Get Brexit Done" "We're All In This Together" "Levelling Up" "Protect food standards" One Nation Conservatives. https://t.co/hGWPV0Xjgq
— Gavin Esler (@gavinesler) October 13, 2020
6.
What is fun* about this government is they do things only for someone to easily dig up examples of them strongly asssuring us they would never let such a thing happen.
*Fun in a hahaha I want to eat my eyeballs sort of way. https://t.co/UOscDd4bVL
— Rosie Holt (@RosieisaHolt) October 13, 2020
7.
Gove is a weasel who lies for a living. If he says there won’t be a dilution of standards, there will be. https://t.co/DxDP0Zvbhu
— Ian collins (@Iancoll94354676) October 13, 2020
However, for all those saying Gove was caught out in hypocrisy or a lie, it’s actually worse than that.
Michael Gove 2018: "imports will have to match our own welfare and environmental standards"
He wasn't lying. He just forgot to mention that we will achieve this match by lowering our own standards. #AgricultureBill #BrexitReality pic.twitter.com/fWpEVHdfOF— Parody Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson_MP) October 13, 2020
When I guaranteed that imports would be to our current standards, twice, I meant it, because the standards of our current government are shit. https://t.co/9RhYSwPbHe
— Michael Govern Ready (@mikegove12) October 13, 2020
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