Gove backs Brexit and attacks 'unaccountable European Court'

Lord Chancellor aims broadside at the European Court of Justice as he joins the Vote Leave camp

Michael Gove has declared his intention to campaign for the UK to leave the European Union so that Britain can 'take control' of its laws.

Renegotiations on the UK's relationship with Europe were finalised by the prime minister, David Cameron, last Friday following a two-day summit in Brussels.

In a strongly worded statement released after an emergency cabinet meeting, however, Gove argued that the British public must take back control of the nation's laws 'to avoid corruption and complacency in high office'.

Describing his choice to back Brexit as one of the most difficult decisions of his political life, the Lord Chancellor said: 'Our membership of the EU prevents us being able to change huge swathes of law and stops us being able to choose who makes critical decisions which affect all our lives.

'Laws which govern citizens in this country are decided by politicians from other nations who we never elected and who we can throw out if we want change,' said Gove.

'We can take out our anger on elected representatives in Westminster,' he continued, 'but whoever is in government in London cannot remove or reduce VAT, cannot support a steel plant through troubled times, cannot build the houses we need where they're needed, and cannot deport all the individuals who shouldn't be in this country.'

The justice secretary, who was tasked with repealing the Human Rights Act and replacing it with a 'British Bill of Rights' railed against the EU commission that 'is generating new laws every day and an unaccountable European Court in Luxembourg'.

Eurosceptic Gove added that the court was extending its reach every week through the increasing use of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights which 'gives the EU more power and reach than ever before'.

The former Times journalist claimed the 'tens of thousands' of EU rules stifle progress and that decisions from the European Court of Justice 'hobble' the growth of businesses, such as recent rulings on data protection against internet companies.

'As a minister I've seen hundreds of new EU rules cross my desk, none of which were requested by the UK parliament, none of which I or any other British politician could alter in any way, and none of which made us freer, richer, or fairer,' he added.

Gove joins his predecessor at the Ministry of Justice, Chris Grayling, along with cabinet colleague Iain Duncan Smith, the work and pensions secretary, and the current Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, in backing the Vote Leave campaign.

Speaking to BBC last week, Grayling, now leader of the House of Commons, said he believed the EU was holding the UK back.

'We cannot control our borders, limit the number of people who come here do trade deals.

'There are whole series of key decisions which I think we need to be take in our national interest, and which we have given to the EU,' he told BBC Radio 4.

Also speaking to the BBC over the weekend, the former leader of the Tory party, Duncan Smith, appeared to link the 'massive wave of migration' with Islamist extremist terrorism, saying: 'We see what happened in Paris.'

The UK referendum on whether to remain in the EU will take place on Thursday 23 June, the prime minister has said.