Update on Brexit

As you might imagine, as we approach the 31st October deadline to resolve Brexit, much of my time in Parliament over the last week has been dominated by this challenge. 

This week the EU Withdrawal Bill was published and set out how we will leave the EU.  This Bill turns the years of negotiated agreements between the UK and EU into legislation.  We also considered the Future Political Declaration that sets out the negotiating parameters for our future relationship with the EU.  Over the past three years, Parliamentarians and Parliamentary Committees have considered these negotiations. 

The Bill and the agreement that it seeks to implement represent a compromise, one that I believe delivers the commitments I made at the last General Election.  I want to ensure that, as we leave the EU, we have a close and special relationship with our neighbours and allies. While we are leaving the EU we are not leaving Europe. 

We need to take account of the shift we are seeing in attitudes among other Governments in the European Union. Those Governments are no longer hanging on, hoping somehow that the United Kingdom is going to change its mind.  They are impatient.  They are increasingly exasperated with all political parties and at the inability of the UK political system to take a decision on this matter. 

I believe EU Governments want Brexit brought to an orderly conclusion as soon as possible in a way that does as little harm as possible to the interests of the EU member nations.  That interest includes the future constructive and close relationship that they, like most people here, want to see. 

There are strategic challenges that face our country and every other European democracy.  Climate change, terrorism, serious and organised crime and the mass movement of people.  As European democracies, we are having to confront those challenges in the context of a shifting balance of world power, with a Russia that is aggressive and actively seeking to divide democratic European states, a China that is assertive and offering economic opportunity but championing a model for government and society at odds with that embedded in our own democratic and liberal values, and a United States whose unquestioning support for European security and a rules-based international order can no longer be taken for granted.  

While we need to get on with the task of trying to build a different but close and enduring partnership with our European neighbours and allies, we also need to work together to meet the challenges that confront us all as fellow democracies on a shared continent.  

Passing the necessary legislation will enable us to take one step closer towards starting on that task. I am pleased that the legislation cleared the first hurdle but frustrated that it is now stalled. 

It is not clear what will happen next, but there will be further delay to our departure from the EU. I will continue to work with MPs of all parties for a resolution. 

First published in the West Briton 23/10/19

Returning to Parliament

I am unexpectedly back in Parliament this week. The Supreme Court made arguably one of the historic constitutional judgments of our modern history. 

I encourage you to read the full judgment, it’s not as long as you might think, easy to read and you can find a link on my website.  

The Government has said that while it disagrees with the decision it will respect it. I think that is the right thing to do. Checks and balances are an important part of our system of Parliamentary democracy and should be respected.  

Our system depends on informed and active citizens, our independent judiciary, the rule of law as well as Parliament to promote and defend our hard-won freedoms. 

To say that Brexit has proven to be a challenging test of our Parliamentary democracy is an understatement. I very much understand the frustration of my constituents. However, it is wrong to blame the judges for the current situation. 

In practical terms, it means that Parliament might be meeting every week for the foreseeable future. This is the Party conference season and I would normally be working in Cornwall for the best part of three whole weeks as Parliament normally does not sit during the Party conference season. This means that I have had to curtail my work with constituents locally, a hugely important part of my role as your local MP. 

The Supreme Court decision also means that we won’t now have a new session of Parliament as planned, one that sets out the Government’s proposed agenda, including measures to tackle climate change and environmental degradation. I know that many constituents want more urgent action taken on this. The PM will have to prorogue Parliament to enable that to happen. Given the Supreme Court’s decision, I expect that, if this happens, it will be for a short period of time, and Parliament will return around 14th October.  

I will make the most of this time in Parliament to continue my work as a backbench MP, building a consensus for Parliament to deliver the commitment in the 2017 Conservative General Election manifesto to leave the EU in an orderly way, with ‘a deal’. This was also a commitment of the Labour Party in their 2017 manifesto, something their leader seems to have forgotten.  

As you know the Government doesn’t have a majority in Parliament. One way to have broken the Brexit deadlock was to hold a General Election and elect a Government with a new Brexit mandate before the end of October, when we are due to leave the EU. Despite the Leader of the Opposition frequently requesting this, when his opportunity arose, he bottled it. 

In the absence of a General Election, I believe it is even more essential that all Conservative and Labour MPs need to work constructively with the Government as it negotiates with the EU, so that we can break the deadlock, honour our commitments and leave the EU in an orderly way with ‘a deal’. 

First published in the West Briton 26/09/19

Working towards a consensus on Brexit

Much has happened over the last week but what have we learned? While a minority of people voted in the EU elections, those that did so indicated that the country is as divided now as it was at the time of EU Referendum. The Conservative and the Labour Party MPs who have been trying to deliver their manifesto commitments have failed to secure the support of people who want us to leave the EU without an orderly transition to a new and close relationship, preferring a “no deal” Brexit, as well as those who want to “stop Brexit” with a second referendum. 

I am disappointed that Jeremy Corbyn could not persuade enough of his team, most notably future Labour Party leadership contenders, Emily Thornberry and Kier Starmer, to support him and the way forward, that I am told by people close to the negotiations, he wanted to agree with the Prime Minister. I know Labour MPs that want to honour their manifesto commitments to deliver Brexit. If the agreement had been reached and subsequently supported by Parliament, we would be on track now to leave the EU with a good deal, ending the current paralysing uncertainty. I appreciate that not everyone agrees with me, however I continue to believe that getting Brexit right is of such national importance that it should be above party politics.  

With not enough Parliamentary support for her approach to Brexit the PM had no choice but to announce her impending resignation. She is a great public servant and could not have tried harder to deliver a good Brexit. That remains an extraordinary challenge for her successor. 

The PM will remain in place while the Conservative Party choose a new leader. The leadership contenders will need to demonstrate that they have a Brexit plan that will command enough support in Parliament. Unity of purpose is essential so that we can begin the process of healing the divisions that Brexit has illuminated.  

This selection process will take time and could be months. We should use this time well to consider some new approaches to finding a solution to Brexit, by more directly involving people in our usual political and Parliamentary processes. 

Next week, I am meeting Professor David Farrell, one of the “stars” of deliberative democracy and the Co-Leader of the Irish Citizens’ Assembly, in which citizens found a way forward on the “unsolvable” question of abortion and marriage equality. Professor David Farrell is described as “the man who transformed Irish politics”. 

I am keen to learn from the experience of Ireland and develop an approach for the U.K. There are a range of models of deliberative democracy, including citizens juries. They provide the opportunity for a truly representative group of citizens, enabled by experts, to consider complex issues, feeding back their findings to politicians and the public grappling with the same issues. They don’t replicate our democratic institutions and processes but add an extra dimension that Ireland and other countries have found useful in resolving complex issues. 

First published in the West Briton 30 05 19

Working to prevent a “no deal” Brexit

I understand the frustration people feel that Parliament has not yet delivered Brexit. I understand that people want to leave the EU for a range of reasons, not all to do with the economy. However, I am focussed on the economy and the wellbeing of my constituents. Without a strong economy local people won’t prosper and we won’t be able to increase funding for our vital local public services. 

The delays are having a corrosive effect on British industry as a whole. The longer the delay, the more likely that investments are routed out of Britain to countries with a more stable political and industrial climate. 

While Parliamentary squabbles continue, Nigel Farage is touring the country advocating a no-deal Brexit. Just when we thought no deal was out of the question, the collapse of the Brexit negotiations and the willful disregard by some in Parliament of the increasingly desperate warnings from industry and the world of work, has brought the spectre of no deal back. 

No deal would not be the “clean break” Mr Farage promises. 

Pascal Lamy, former Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), has said he thought after a period of negotiations that the UK could become an independent member of the WTO outside of the EU. But he described the WTO regime as league three in world trade. Why would we choose to relegate ourselves from league one to three? 

The blithe assurances of hard Brexiteers that the UK could fare perfectly well trading on WTO terms flies in the face of warnings from a huge range of businesses, small and large, that it would simply make their products uncompetitive and their business models unsustainable. 

The National Farmers Union says WTO terms would add 67 and 85 per cent extra tax to exports of lamb and beef respectively. 

The British ceramics industry, already struggling with the dumping of tableware from China, would face extra tax of 28 per cent on its products. 

The car industry, hit by the triple whammy of falling sales in China, the transition from diesel and Brexit, could not absorb the extra 10 per cent tax on its exports. 

Manufacturing employs millions of people and its renaissance has given thousands of young people a real start in life in well-paid, skilled jobs. 

For businesses this is even worse than the first time they prepared for the threat of a disorderly no-deal Brexit on March 29 because billions had to be spent making contingency plans, stockpiling supplies, shutting factories and laying off staff. They just cannot do this all over again. 

As you would expect, I listen to local employers and businesses and many tell me that they are worried by the collapse of the cross-party talks as it makes no deal more likely once again. As we edge closer to a damaging no-deal Brexit, I will once again work tirelessly cross-party in parliament to ensure Britain leaves the European Union in an orderly way with a deal. 

Breaking the Brexit Impasse

Many people are contacting me about Brexit so I think it’s worth recapping on where we are. In the 2016 EU Referendum I campaigned for and like the majority of people in this constituency voted to Remain. It was a nationwide vote and at that time I said I would honour the result. At the 2017 General Election, I was given a mandate by my constituents to deliver Brexit, with an orderly transition to a new, close and special relationship with the EU.

I believe the Prime Minister’s negotiated EU Withdrawal Agreement and the Future Political Declaration delivers on that manifesto pledge and will continue to support it. I have voted for it twice and given the opportunity will vote for it a third time.

The PMs ‘deal’ will give us free, no tariff, unlimited quota trade with the EU, minimal or zero frictions at the borders, complete control over immigration and would avoid a “hard border” between North Ireland and Ireland. There will be no ongoing payments to the EU and we will be out of the Common Agricultural and Fisheries Policies and will be free to strike trade agreements with nations outside the EU.

Two weeks ago, after the negotiations with the EU were complete and the Government lost the second attempt to secure the support of Parliament for the PMs ‘deal’, I resigned from the Government, so that I could vote for a motion that honours my commitment to my constituents, to leave the EU with ‘a deal’. Not a ‘no deal’ Brexit. I have been working with MPs from across the House of Commons to find a way forward.

It is so disappointing to see the Labour Party led by someone who’s more interested in power grabbing than serving his country, especially at such an important time, his tactics of “trash talking” the Government are frightening. I have a lot of respect for my colleagues in the Labour Party who like me want to honour their commitments to their constituents so it is a great shame to see them be continuously let down by their leader.

As a result, the House of Commons did not come together last week to deliver the commitments that the majority of MPs, including Labour MPs made to their constituents, to leave the EU in an orderly way to a new, close and deep relationship with our neighbours in Europe.

The legal default now is that the United Kingdom is due to leave the European Union on 12 April. This is not enough time to agree, legislate for and ratify a ‘deal’, and yet the House of Commons has been clear it will not permit leaving without a deal. If we can agree a way forward, to enable it to be implemented, the PM will need to secure an extension of our EU membership before this date.

I am continuing my work with other backbench colleagues, from across the House of Commons, to enable Parliament to consider a range of options, to find the common ground, that could enable us to leave the EU with ‘a deal’ if the PMs ‘deal’ continues not to secure enough support.

I understand the frustration and anxiety the current Parliamentary impasse is causing as well as the desire for some certainty and clarity about our future relationship with the EU. I also appreciate the damage that is being done to our economy, the reputation of our parliamentary democracy and standing in the world. Please be assured that I will continue to work hard to resolve the impasse in the best interests of my constituents and our great country.

Some people have asked about the current EU funding that Cornwall is receiving now. My colleagues and I have ensured that the U.K. government has underwritten the programme so we will not miss out. In the future Cornwall will benefit from dedicated funding from the Shared Prosperity Fund.

Having lived overseas for a number of years I know how important it is to feel a sense of belonging and understand that this is a very difficult time for our neighbours, friends and workmates who are from EU countries. You are welcome! We are leaving the EU but we are not leaving Europe.

First published in the Falmouth Packet 03/04/19

Working to remove the Brexit impasse

Many people are contacting me about Brexit so I think it’s worth recapping on where we are. In the 2016 EU Referendum a majority of people in this constituency voted to Remain. At the 2017 General Election I was given a mandate by my constituents to deliver Brexit, with an orderly transition to a new, close and special relationship with the EU. To deliver Brexit with ‘a deal’ not a ‘no deal’ Brexit.  

I believe the Prime Minister’s negotiated EU Withdrawal Agreement and the Future Political Declaration delivers on that manifesto pledge and will continue to support it. I have voted for it twice and given the opportunity will vote for it a third time. 

The PMs ‘deal’ will give us free, no tariff, unlimited quota trade with the EU, minimal or zero frictions at the borders, complete control over immigration and would avoid a “hard border” between North Ireland and Ireland. There will be no ongoing payments to the EU and we will be out of the Common Agricultural and Fisheries Policies and will be free to strike trade agreements with nations outside the EU. 

Last week, after the negotiations with the EU were complete and the Government lost the second attempt to secure the support of Parliament for the PMs ‘deal’, I resigned from the Government, so that I could vote for a motion that honours my commitment to my constituents, to leave the EU with ‘a deal’. Not a ‘no deal’ Brexit. 

This week, I am continuing my work with other backbench colleagues, from different political parties, to enable Parliament to consider a range of options, to find the common ground, that could enable us to leave the EU with ‘a deal’ if the PMs ‘deal’ continues not to secure enough support. 

Labour and Conservative MPs were all elected at the last General Election on a manifesto to leave the EU with ‘a deal’ so we must honour our commitments.  

I understand the frustration and anxiety the current Parliamentary impasse is causing as well as the desire for some certainty and clarity about our future relationship with the EU. I also appreciate the damage that is being done to the reputation of our parliamentary democracy and standing in the world. Please be assured that I will continue to work hard to resolve the impasse in the best interests of my constituents and our great country.  

Some people have asked about the current EU funding that Cornwall is receiving now. My colleagues and I have ensured that the U.K. government has underwritten the programme so we will not miss out. In the future Cornwall will benefit from dedicated funding from the Shared Prosperity Fund.  

Having lived overseas for a number of years I know how important it is to feel a sense of belonging and understand this is a very difficult time for our neighbours, friends and workmates who are from EU countries. You are welcome! We are leaving the EU but we are not leaving Europe. 

First published in the West Briton 28/03/19

Honouring the Referendum result

On Tuesday, the Prime Minister updated Parliament on the progress that she is making to enable the U.K. to leave the EU with a Withdrawal Agreement and Future Political Declaration, by the end of March. MPs will be voting on a motion to approve these documents on 12th March and I very much hope it is passed. This will enable an orderly exit and two years of transition to a new, close and special relationship with the EU.  

A new relationship that will enable tariff free, quota free, frictionless trade with the EU, close collaboration on security, defense, and academic research. At the same time enabling the U.K. to have an independent immigration policy and develop new trade deals. The U.K. Parliament and U.K. courts of law will make the decisions that affect all our lives. We will be coming out of the Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy enabling decisions about how we manage the land and the seas around our shores to be made by the U.K. Parliament.  

If the PM does not succeed in securing enough votes for this ‘deal’ another motion will be tabled on 13th March asking the House of Commons if it supports leaving the EU without a Withdrawal Agreement and a framework for a future relationship on 29th March. So the U.K. will only leave the EU without a deal on 29th March if there is explicit consent in the House for this outcome.  

If the House, having rejected leaving with a deal negotiated with the EU, then rejects leaving on 29th March without a withdrawal agreement and future framework, the Government will, on 14th March, bring forward a motion on whether Parliament wants to seek a short limited extension to Article 50 – and if the House votes for the extension, seek to agree that extension approved by the House with the EU, and bring forward the necessary legislation to change the exit date commensurate with that extension. 

Like the PM, I do not want to see Article 50 extended and am urging all my colleagues to vote for the PM’s deal on 12th March.  

At the last General Election, I was elected to deliver Brexit, with an orderly transition to a new, close and special relationship with the EU and I will continue to do everything I can to deliver this.  

To honour my commitment, if the deal that the PM has negotiated does not secure the necessary support in Parliament on 12th March, I will vote against a ‘no deal’ Brexit and if necessary a delay in when we leave the EU. The purpose of the delay would be to secure a deal that does command the necessary support in Parliament and the EU.  

It is clear from the information that I have been given from many local employers, that to leave the EU without a deal on 29th March would be damaging for our economy, employment opportunities, cost of living and future prosperity.  

First published in the West Briton 28/02/19

EU Withdrawal Bill

Last night a majority of MPs, from across the Conservative, Labour, and DUP parties and two Independents voted for an amended EU Withdrawal Bill. A couple of weeks ago, a majority of MPs voted against the original version of this bill.  

Over the last two weeks a huge amount of work has been done to find the common ground in Parliament. The EU and the PM quite rightly said to Parliament, “we know what you don’t agree upon, so tell us what you do”. The amendment to the EU Withdrawal Agreement is about finding a different way of guaranteeing that we honour the Belfast and Good Friday agreements – the so called “backstop”. Those agreements are about honouring our commitments in securing peace in Ireland and Northern Ireland. 

So what happens next? The PM will spend the next two weeks negotiating with the EU with the aim of bringing back to Parliament a final version of the EU Withdrawal Agreement. 

In the meantime, much good work continues on a wide range of important policies that matter to us all. Last week I held one of my regular meetings with the NFU and local farmers. We discussed the Immigration Bill and the Agriculture Bill that are currently working their way through Parliament.  

On Friday, the government launched an ambitious new strategy to clean up our air – which includes a commitment to support farmers’ efforts to tackle air pollution. 

Agriculture is responsible for 88% of UK emissions of ammonia gas which can travel long distances, be damaging to the environment, and combine with other pollutants to form fine Particulate Matter (PM) pollution, which is harmful to human health. 

The measures set out in the Clean Air Strategy will help cut the costs of air pollution to society by £1.7 billion every year by 2020, rising to £5.3 billion every year from 2030. 

Under the new strategy the government will provide farmers with support to invest in infrastructure and equipment to reduce emissions and will work with industry to encourage low emission, holistic farming techniques. 

Funding has been available through the Countryside Productivity Scheme to help farmers purchase manure management equipment including low-emission spreaders and the scheme is due to run again in 2019.  

Funding is also available through the Countryside Stewardship Scheme for slurry tank and lagoon covers for farmers in priority water catchments. 

In September 2018 the government launched a new £3 million programme through the Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) partnership to fund a team of specialists who work with farmers and landowners in priority areas to provide training events, tailored advice, individual farm visits and support with grant applications. 

Our Agriculture Bill already sets out how future financial support for the farming sector will be focussed on delivering improvements to the environment. We propose that a future environmental land management system should fund targeted action to protect habitats impacted by ammonia. Natural England are already examining options to improve the effectiveness of schemes for mitigating ammonia emissions in protecting these habitats. 

First published in the West Briton 31/01/18

Backing the PM’s deal

The Parliament I returned to on Monday is almost as divided as it was before Christmas. It is still divided into several factions; those who support Mrs May’s EU deal and those who oppose it, those who want a general election and those who want a second referendum. No one has come up with a better deal – including “no deal” – that commands more support than that of the Prime Minister. These same divisions exist across our nation, in our communities and in our homes. 

I have received around one thousand letters and emails from constituents passionately expressing their views one way or another, with each appealing to me to do the ‘right thing’ by representing their position in Parliament. It is my job to listen to the arguments and then carefully draw my own conclusions.  

There is no doubt that the vast majority of people are very supportive of the Prime Minister, and rightly so in my view. I agree that her deal is not perfect, but it does offer a compromise which I can support and I would urge others to do so too. As I have said before, this deal will give us free, no tariff, unlimited quota trade with the EU, minimal or zero frictions at the borders, complete control over immigration and would avoid a “hard border” between North Ireland and Ireland. There will be no payments to the EU and we will be out of the Common Agricultural and Fisheries Policies and there will be no customs union, so we will be free to strike trade agreements with nations outside the European Union. These key objectives, which are often referred to as the Prime Minister’s ‘red lines’, actually represent the promises made to British voters in the referendum campaign and at the most recent General Election. 

The much debated “backstop” in the EU Withdrawal Agreement, if used at all, would allow us continued, contribution free access to the EU whilst having total control over migration. This is why it is designed to be, and will prove to be temporary; for the first time ever, and contrary to the EU’s oft-repeated position of not splitting the ‘four freedoms’, they have done exactly that. Any suggestion that such an arrangement would, in effect, become permanent would cause an existential crisis within the EU. Their incentive not to use it, or to leave it quickly, would be at least as great as ours. 

If we do not support this deal, then anything could happen. This would have unknown and potentially untold consequences. The vast majority of local employers who have contacted me want certainty and do not want a “no deal” Brexit. 

There might also be a vote of no confidence in the present Government, which could result in a General Election, which Mr. Corbyn might win. For most, I do not need to explain the consequences of this for our economy, on investment and on jobs. 

I think it’s time to come together and support the deal. 

 First published in the West Briton 10/01/18

General Election Results

It’s good to see that more people participated in last week’s General Election than in the recent past. More people registered to vote and the turnout for the General Election here is growing from 69.1% in 2010 to 70% in 2015 and 75.8% last week.

I am pleased that many more people are getting actively involved in our precious democracy too and am grateful to the enthusiastic team of local Conservative campaign volunteers. Despite the tactics deployed against me by an aggressive minority of keyboard bullies and poster defacers, whose intimidation seeks to undermine our democratic process, I am pleased that more people voted for me last week than the previous two General Elections. I am looking forward to continuing my work for all my constituents, irrespective of who they voted for. It is a great honour to be the local MP for this great constituency.

The General Election campaign, like the Referendum campaign, highlighted divisions across the UK. Gaps that need to be closed. From the many conversations or email exchanges I have had with local people, listening to their concerns, I know that there is more that unites us than divides us. I am confident that this community shares my passion and determination to face up to the challenges and opportunities we all face and build a stronger, fairer society that works for everyone.

While the Government does not have the majority it hoped for, it does have the ability and resolve to lead our nation through the Brexit negotiations that begin in a few days time. As I said on election night, I will be working hard to build bridges across the political divide, to find the common ground for the best Brexit and bring the country together with a shared vision of a united Britain.

First published in the West Briton 14/06/17