Pro Brexit minister taunts David Cameron with copy of The Sun as she enters Downing Street
Priti Patel could not resist a cheeky grin as she went to meet the PM
BREXIT-BACKING minister Priti Patel taunted boss David Cameron today by walking up Downing Street flaunting her copy of The Sun's historic pro-Leave front page.
Employment minister Priti Patel cheekily placed her copy of today’s paper so it poked out of her handbag as she attended this morning’s cabinet meeting in Downing Street.
It came as our bold declaration urging everyone to vote leave on June 23 gripped Westminster – and made headlines around the world.
Our front page calling on Brits to “set ourselves free from dictatorial Brussels” triggered joy among Brexit campaigners and dismayed Mr Cameron’s Remain camp.
Speaking after her provocative walk up Downing Street, Employment Minister Ms Patel said: “I was delighted to see the country’s most well-read paper supporting the campaign to leave the EU.
“It’s time to take back control of our money, our borders and our democracy - I hope all Sun readers will join me in voting leave on June 23.”
That was echoed by fellow Brexit-backing Justice Minister Dominic Raab, who said: “This is an important vote of confidence by The Sun in Britain, and the British people - and a rejection of the soul-destroying pessimism of the Remain campaign.”
The delight extended across political boundaries as UKIP leader Nigel Farage said he was “absolutely thrilled” and “over the moon” at The Sun’s endorsement.
Nigel Farage was also seen in Kingston, south west London, clutching a copy of today's Sun
And John Mills, chair of Labour Leave, said: “It’s absolutely fantastic to see the ‘Leave’ campaign has the full support of The Sun.
“This is the most important political decision of our generation, and The Sun has the clout and influence to persuade more people to back the ‘Leave’ campaign and get us out of the EU.”
But the decision angered many Remain backers on Twitter, with Labour dinosaur Lord Prescott having a pop.
Labour MP Neil Coyle also tweeted the front page with the attempted rebuttal: “Be aware that the IMF, Bank of England & Treasury all say jobs are at risk...”
And one pro-EU Tory MP said privately: “This is a disaster for us.”
Meanwhile our decision to declare for Brexit sparked comparisons with other historic election front pages – such as 1992’s classic “If Kinnock wins today will the last person in Britain please turn out the lights”.
And it was picked up by news outlets right across the globe – including Singapore, Australia and America.
Respected US magazine Newsweek said: “The Sun, Britain’s biggest-selling print tabloid, holds a unique place in the UK’s public debate.
“It certainly has a history of picking winners, perhaps most famously the 1992 election, where a close race ended with the Conservative John Major in Downing Street enjoying a surprisingly strong result.
“Britain’s Brexiters will hope the paper’s influence isn’t illusory: on Tuesday, it came out for a “Brexit” vote in the U.K.’s EU membership referendum.”
The New York Times, Australia’s ABC News and Singapore’s Straits Times all covered the story.
It was also reported by European neighbours. The Irish Independent was one of several Irish papers to write about our declaration, saying: “The significance of the Sun’s stance is that the newspaper does not like to back losers and clearly views Brexit as the most likely outcome.”
And German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle wrote on its website: “In an editorial, Britain’s top-selling newspaper has come out in support of the country leaving the EU. The endorsement comes just as a new poll shows the ‘Leave’ camp gaining support.”