Time to fulfil of respect for

My duty was to back decision on leaving EU Parliament yesterday voted to set Brexit in motion by triggering Article 50. Pro-leave Canterbury MP Sir Julian Brazier explains why he was always going to resist calls to vote the same way as his constituents

By the time you read this the House of Commons will have voted on triggering Article 50 for withdrawal from the European Union.

Local opinion was bitterly divided on this issue, and some are pointing out that a majority of people in the Canterbury and Whitstable constituency appears to have voted against leaving.

Nevertheless, I was elected on a Conservative manifesto which promised a referendum – and to respect the result.

I personally supported the referendum repeatedly in my campaign.

The fact is, the country voted by a margin of well over one million for Leave, so my duty is clear.

We cannot claim that a national referendum and government pledge does not hold sway in Kent.

It was that sort of fatuous claim by Scottish Labour MPS – when they lost in 1992 and 2010 – which helped to build the argument for the Scottish Nationalists over a generation.

The Commons has already confirmed the government’s plan for Brexit in December by an overwhelming majority

In her speech a fortnight ago, I believe that Theresa May set out the right direction for our country.

The referendum vote last June was not just a vote to leave the European Union, it was a vote for change by millions of people who want to see us take back control of our laws and our borders.

The Prime Minister set out a vision to forge a new, positive, relationship with our European neighbours while building a stronger, fairer, global Britain.

She called for a new and equal partnership between an independent, self-governing Britain and our valued friends and allies in the European Union.

It is early days, but it is good to see that most of the dire predictions made during the campaign have not yet come to pass.

We did not go into recession as many predicted we would in the immediate aftermath of a Leave vote.

The then Chancellor George Osborne did not bring in an emergency Budget and Britain is most certainly not “at the back of the queue” for a free trade deal with the United States. Indeed, we are the fastest growing country in the G7 group of major economic powers and unemployment is now at the lowest rate for over a decade.

Locally, the number of people claiming out of work benefits has fallen by a third since 2010.

The Prime Minister’s speech confirmed that we will be taking back control of our own laws and ending the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice in Britain.

We will also, crucially, be taking back control of immigration. We will continue to welcome people with key skills and qualifications to our universities, businesses and public services.

In contrast, we will no longer be open to jobless and low-skilled migrants from the economically depressed southern and eastern countries of the EU.

This does mean leaving the Single Market, but it certainly does not mean the end of our trading relationship with our neighbours on the continent.

We need a new trade deal and already we hear voices in the EU calling for it.

For example, Michel Barnier, the EU’S top negotiator, has revealed that he wants the 27 remaining member states to keep easy access to London’s financial institutions.

Many people had claimed that the EU would shut out the City if we left.

As we look eastward to Europe, westward to America