Tory Brexiteer Iain Duncan Smith has been mocked on social media for complaining about the UK's Withdrawal Agreement from the EU despite having voted for it.
The UK is set to complete its exit from the European Union on 31 December when the transition period will end, and at the time of writing there is little sign of a trade agreement being reached between the two negotiating teams.
While that is concerning to many, Duncan Smith's grievance is the withdrawal bill that he and other Tory MPs voted through the Commons last year, which he's now claiming is the problem.
In a series of tweets the former leader of the Conservatives posted on Monday, he explained how the EU will benefit from a 'divorce payment' which is denying the UK 'true national independence.'
Whilst the UK wants to have a good trade relationship with the EU as a sovereign state, the EU has different ideas.… https://t.co/jL0At3Huu0— Iain Duncan Smith MP (@Iain Duncan Smith MP) 1596464742
To avoid their own budget black hole, the EU gets £39billion as a “divorce payment” from us, reflecting our share o… https://t.co/UmQi6OWhKF— Iain Duncan Smith MP (@Iain Duncan Smith MP) 1596464742
You can't be half in the EU & half out, the problem is the WA. It costs too much & it denies us true national indep… https://t.co/BnVvDNVNhG— Iain Duncan Smith MP (@Iain Duncan Smith MP) 1596464743
Duncan Smith's name was soon trending on Twitter with many questioning why he had even voted for the Withdrawal Agreement in the first place if he was so opposed to it.
https://t.co/CnPh5w37yZ https://t.co/r6X4cCatZs— Ireland Simpsons Fans (@Ireland Simpsons Fans) 1596539379
@MPIainDS So you voted for something that you now think is wrong for our country and your excuse it "I didn't read… https://t.co/OOLpAHaJIR— Steve Analyst (@Steve Analyst) 1596489016
Fair play, I think, to Iain Duncan Smith for coming out so clearly and saying the deal his boss signed is dreadful… https://t.co/jPfptoMEIX— Jo Maugham (@Jo Maugham) 1596524256
So in 2016, despite having no detail on what Brexit meant, people knew exactly what they were voting for. But in 20… https://t.co/IEUSZpSauf— Chris Grey (@Chris Grey) 1596522829
To vote against proper scrutiny of a bill & then to vote for that bill & then to complain about not having understo… https://t.co/1ImowcT8IK— James Oh Brien (@James Oh Brien) 1596524443
the one thing that riles Brexiteers more than anything is "you don't know what you voted for" and yet here is Iain… https://t.co/8Akp0IcUtB— dave ❄️ 🥕 🧻 (@dave ❄️ 🥕 🧻) 1596533269
Iain Duncan Smith - It appears we have "silly people in the conservative party with big mouths & small brains" not… https://t.co/JHE90T5bTf— Haggis_UK 🇬🇧 🇪🇺 (@Haggis_UK 🇬🇧 🇪🇺) 1596532262
A resurfaced tweet from Duncan Smith, saw him champion Boris Johnson's 'oven-ready' deal which is he now bemoaning.
Not quite nine months ago. https://t.co/NeMCweWHc5— David Gauke (@David Gauke) 1596533873
An article fromThe Sun that Duncan Smith shared explained how the UK is facing £160bn EU loans bill thanks to it previously being part of The European Investment Bank and the European Financial Stability Mechanism.
The money raised through the scheme goes to 'investment projects' across Europe however by leaving, Britain is now liable for around 12 per cent of these unpaid loans which comes to the aforementioned sum, which is four times Britain’s £39bn divorce deal.
What was that old saying that Remainers used to say; 'people didn't know what they were voting for....'