Who is speaking for our regions?

England needs a say in Brexit talks

Theresa May is not expected to carry on as Prime Minister until the next election THERESA May has pretty much confirmed what most MPs already knew.

She won’t stay on as Prime Minister long enough to fight the next general election.

At some point, she’ll leave Number 10 and let the Conservatives elect a new party leader, who will then take part in a general election campaign.

That’s assuming the Government doesn’t collapse in the near future.

Anything seems possible at the moment. Mrs May could be forced to call another election sooner than she wants, so that she is forced to lead her party into another campaign whether she likes it or not.

But her plan is to stay on as Prime Minister for a few years, before stepping aside gracefully and allowing someone else to take over.

She made this fairly clear in an interview with the Sun newspaper, saying: “There is a job to be done here, over the next few years. I want to get on with doing that job.”

The job in question is Brexit. Mrs May wants to lead the country out of the European Union before she quits.

But where is the voice of the English regions in this process?

Speaking in the House of Commons last week, Damian Green, the First Secretary of State (a title which effectively means he is Mrs May’s deputy prime minister), said the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland would have a role in the Brexit process.

He told MPs that when the UK regains control over its own affairs from Brussels, some of those powers will be devolved to the governments and administrations in those places.

And Theresa May, the Prime Minister, visited Scotland to meet with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon before triggering Article 50, the formal start of the Brexit process.

There is little focus, by contrast, on the needs of the English regions.

Brexit Secretary David Davis has promised to meet mayors in the North, such as the mayors of Tees Valley, Greater Manchester or Liverpool City Region.

But that doesn’t provide much comfort to areas without mayors, such as the “North East” area north of Tees Valley.

There’s also little sign of this meeting actually happening.

English regions have specific needs which must be considered as Brexit takes place.

For example, our carmakers are desperately worried about the prospect of customs controls being imposed. It’s not just about being able to sell cars in France. They also need to be able to import parts from suppliers across Europe, in the knowledge that there will be no hold-ups at borders.

Brexit is a massive change for the UK. But who speaks for England as it takes place?