BRANDON LEWIS
Every weekend, I am out with dedicated and hard-working Conservative volunteers knocking on doors and talking to families. Outside the Westminster bubble, I get a real sense of what matters to hard-working people and what they expect of their Government.
They want us to continue to build the good quality, affordable homes that people need, to forge ahead with driving up school standards and to deliver our long-term plan for the National Health Service.
On Brexit, they want us to honour the country’s decision to leave the EU by getting the right deal for the United Kingdom. And, crucially, they want us to get on with it.
This week, after thousands of hours of negotiations, we have reached a decisive moment for the country, for Parliament and our party: a draft deal that delivers on the referendum and will see us take back control of our money, laws and borders; a draft deal that will end freedom of movement while protecting jobs, security and our precious Union.
This has been a hard-fought breakthrough and, yes, there has been compromise on both sides. As a party, the choice we now face is clear. We can choose to unite in the national interest and deliver for Britain, to move on and build a brighter future, or we can plunge ourselves into turmoil and risk leaving with no deal.
We must be focused and united in its delivery or we could imperil Brexit itself. There are plenty of people who want to stop Brexit and demands for a so-called People’s Vote grow louder by the day. The Prime Minister has been clear – there will be no second referendum. The 2016 vote was the biggest exercise in democracy that this country has ever undergone and it is our duty to deliver on its result. This is
not a proposal that will please everyone, and there will be difficult days and weeks ahead but I would urge everyone to look behind the headlines, to drown out the clamour and consider the scale of what we have achieved.
The Outline Political Declaration is the foundation on which our future trade negotiations will be built. We have agreed on the creation of a free trade area for goods, combining deep regulatory and customs co-operation with zero tariffs, no fees, charges or quantitative restrictions across all goods sectors, protecting jobs and providing certainty for businesses.
We have reached common ground on services and investment, including financial services, and on fisheries we have ensured the UK will be an independent coastal state.
The Northern Ireland Protocol includes a guarantee that there will be no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. No other proposal would avoid the need for a backstop.
It will take determination and discipline to deliver, but we should never lose sight of the prize – honouring the country’s decision and building a country that truly works for everyone. There are 134 days until Brexit. Let’s get this done.