Leavers’ heartland won’t give up fight to break free
IT’S RARE that the wall-mounted television in the Victory Inn shows anything but football, sometimes darts. But yesterday staff at the pub in Plymouth were expecting a crowd to gather for the vote on the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal, shown live from Westminster.
“Brexit’s a big deal round here,” said one of the locals. “People have gone crazy for it.”
The Victory is situated in the predominantly white, working-class district of Honicknowle. More than 40 per cent of local residents work in semi-skilled or unskilled industries, and the close-knit neighbourhood recorded the highest Leave vote in the area in 2016 – a prodigious 70.8 per cent. They show no signs of changing their minds.
Such has been the anger generated by Theresa May’s perceived sell-out of Brexit that the local Conservative MP Johnny Mercer – once a Remainer – has switched sides and last week said he would vote against Mrs May.
“I don’t think it really breaks free from the shackles that the vote mandated us to do,” he told The Daily
Telegraph. “This is drawn out and epitomised for me by the backstop. The UK is becoming a junior partner in an international relationship that it cannot seem to unilaterally leave.”
Plymouth is highly dependent on EU trade, with 68 per cent of exports from the municipality going to EU countries. But residents say they feel disillusioned and detached from the political elite in Brussels and London.
In particular, many feel that Plymouth has been sidelined in the wake of increased investment elsewhere, such as the Northern Powerhouse scheme.
John Riley, 62, was the Ukip city councillor for Honicknowle in June 2016. “[The vote] came down to a disconnect,” he said. “The whole issue was about taking back control from the non-democratically elected government in Brussels.
“Now, it is simple as to why there is such anti-establishment feeling towards London. MPS gave us that vote and told us they would abide by that vote. We voted to come out and now we have all sorts of politicians saying we don’t want this or that. I’ve got people here – the working man – who never bothered to vote before, and they feel totally betrayed.”
Derek Bond, 68, is a lifelong Honicknowle resident and echoed Mr Riley’s claims. “In the beginning, the EU was a good thing, but then they wanted to become the masters of everything – our rules, what we can import, export and everything,” he said.
“Then we have our British politicians, who are usually out for their own ends and not their constituents. As far as our Government is concerned, we are just a little pawn in their game here in Plymouth, we feel forgotten about. Look at Amber Rudd and her Universal Credit,” he pauses, shaking his head. “Who is standing up for the people?”
Many are also concerned about the negative impact the EU has had on vital local industries, such as fishing. The Common Fisheries Policy – allowing Eu-based fleets to catch eight times as much fish in UK waters as British boats can do in reverse – has attracted particular criticism.
While the fishing industry contributes only 0.5 per cent to British GDP, it is a vital industry in Plymouth, with whole families dependent on it.
“When we joined the European Union, boats in the southwest got a really bad deal,” said David Pessell, of Plymouth Trawler Agents. “It has been a festering grievance for years … we want fairer quotas.”
Plymouth residents also have concerns over immigration in the city, with Ian Bowyer, the city’s longeststanding councillor, identifying this as a “major factor” behind the Leave vote.
He said: “There was that perception that we had significant numbers of people increasingly coming to work in the city, typically from Eastern Europe, and taking jobs.”
While Mr Bowyer is adamant the city’s residents are not racist, some fear further immigration could dilute their unique culture.
Mr Mercer echoes the point. “The people of Plymouth expect us to do better and get a better deal,” he said.
‘In the beginning, the EU was a good thing but then they wanted to be masters of everything – our rules, what we can import, export and everything’