Former Tory cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith has co-authored some guidelines for Britain's impending negotiations with European leaders, and people are astounded by some of the suggestions.
In a Centre for Social Justice report titled Road to Brexit, he spells out an "action plan for Brexit," which seems to include enjoying the benefits of EU membership with none of the costs.
"In other words, we stay in the single market as now, without freedom of movement and the contributions," a section of the report, also written by fellow Leave supporters Owen Patterson, John Redwood and Peter Lilley, reads.
Extract from the Iain Duncan Smith/Owen Paterson paper on Brexit.
On Saturday, political journalist Matthew Holehouse shared an extract of this particularly audacious section of the report on Twitter, much to the dismay of political commentators and politicians alike.
In a series of tweets, Labour MP for Yardley in Birmingham, Jess Phillips called the report "blind stupidity", and "sheer arrogance".
The sheer arrogance of this is remarkable. https://t.co/wltg42Yf14
Phillips then went on to compare the recommendations to "a note school boys pass to each other 'we rulz da best, in your face we r havin whateva we want.'".
Labour MP for Garston and Halewood, Maria Eagle called the report "absolute fantasy".
Absolute fantasy. They appear to be deluded. #Brexit https://t.co/vTVmHZjqdM
Others called the report "laughable", "outrageously thick", "mindless optimism", and like the words of "a flustered 15 year-old trying to argue out of a stupid situation of their own making".
The Donald Trump mode of Brexit negotiation https://t.co/Z4ti9KNbPc
*Reads Donald Trump's The Art of the Deal once* https://t.co/KnbFJ2sSEB
Many compared Duncan Smith and Paterson to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, while at least one person described the pair as "the Chuckle Brothers of politics".
Action Plan For Brexit: 1. Have cake 2. Eat Cake 3. Blame Europe for cake disappearance https://t.co/D6lIZrNAdQ
Meanwhile, speaking to The Sun about forging a Brexit deal with EU leaders, foreign secretary Boris Johnson literally said: "Our policy is having our cake and eating it. We are Pro-secco but by no means anti-pasto."
Johnson was speaking to the newspaper ahead of the Conservative party conference on Sunday to formally ally himself with international trade secretary Liam Fox and Brexit secretary David Davis, who will seek to secure a clean break from the EU.
“We are a nest of singing birds," he said.
“In fact I think Bob Marley once wrote a song which goes, ‘Woke up this morning, smiled with the rising sun, three little birds on my doorstep singing sweet songs.
“A melody pure and true.
“This is my message for you.
“Don’t you worry about a thing cos every little thing is gonna be all right.’”