It’s time to end this Brexit gridlock and move on...
LAST week, Parliament witnessed the Queen’s Speech and the State Opening of Parliament. But past the pomp and pageantry was a serious agenda to deliver Brexit and set a new agenda focusing on the NHS, levelling up our schools and increasing the numbers of bobbies on the beat.
The Queen’s Speech is part of the State Opening of Parliament, the formal beginning of each new session of Parliament. Sessions of Parliament usually last for around a year however, due to the amount of legislation needed to prepare us for Brexit, the most recent session lasted over seven hundred days – the longest since the English Civil War!
As I write this article, the Prime Minister has reached an agreement with the European Union after months of intensive MARY ROBINSON negotiations. The new deal will take back control of our laws and money, allow us to strike free trade deals around the globe and pave the way for a new immigration system.
However, people are tired of the parliamentary gridlock and want us to get on with the job of delivering the result of the 2016 referendum and focusing on the issues I know are important to the people of Cheadle.
The Government will build on September’s Health Infrastructure Plan to build 40 new hospitals and will boost NHS funding by an extra £33.9 billion over the next five years – the biggest cash injection in its history.
Stockport will benefit from this investment with £30 million available for a new Emergency Care Campus Development at Stepping Hill Hospital, that will incorporate an Urgent Treatment Centre, GP assessment unit and Planned Investigation Unit.
The clear commitment made by the Prime Minister to put more officers back on our streets is also an important step forward. Boris Johnson made it clear in his first speech on the steps of Downing Street that making our streets safer is a key priority. Of the 20,000 new police officers we have committed to recruit, Greater Manchester Police will benefit from a further 347 new officers on the beat, in addition to the 320 hired this year. This substantial increase in funding for the police will enable forces across the country to continue recruiting, fill crucial capability gaps and meet real pressures.
This ambitious programme will set the country on a new path and establish a vision which we can all be confident in.