Starmer convinced us he was a born-again Brexiteer – but this rotten EU deal shows his true colours

FOR years Sir Keir Starmer has tried to convince us he is a born-again Brexiteer, committed to grasping the opportunities leaving the EU has to offer.

A reputation as the die-hard Remainer who led Jeremy Corbyn’s charge to overturn the referendum was never going to wash with voters - so he shed that political skin.

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And now - when it comes to the crunch - the PM reveals his true colours in a deal that drags Britain back under Brussels’ clutches.

For days it has been clear from smug Eurocratic briefings that Labour's concessions had been plenty.

But the revelations this morning that French trawlers will be able to plunder our fishing waters for 12 YEARS is worse than even the harshest Starmer critic could have feared.

From the details we have so far, it appears our PM has been stitched up like a soppy kipper.

Reclaiming sovereignty of our rich coastline was a totemic issue of the 2016 referendum, but also a necessity for many fishing companies to simply stay afloat.

As they head out on their boats this morning, many will rightly feel betrayed.

Ministers are even so out-of-touch they think the industry can be bought off with a £360million "coastal community fund” - fat chance of that.

And that is before other expected sellouts: more taxpayer cash going to Brussels, more migrants pouring in under an EU Youth Mobility Scheme, and oversight of European judges.

That last one - the harmless sounding “dynamic alignment” on food standards - will really stick in the craw of the 17.4million who backed Brexit because it binds us to ever-changing Brussels’ rules over which we have no say.

In the grand trappings of London’s Lancaster House, Sir Keir will today inevitably parade his deal as a win for Britain.

He says he does not want to reopen the political rows of the past and instead look forward.

But with this deal, he not only opens old wounds, but is drawing new battle lines.