It’s time politicians were honest: Brexit isn’t working
3 min read
My home town of Totnes is known for its left-leaning, alternative approach to life. On 4 July it came together to resoundingly elect the first non-Conservative MP for our constituency in more than 100 years.
It’s no coincidence that, eight years before, it was united in shock at the result of the EU referendum – a result that prompted me to join the Lib Dems and be catapulted into politics.
I’m here today because of Brexit. Because I was convinced that it would not – could not – be a success for the United Kingdom. That the promised golden uplands were like the crock of gold at the end of the rainbow – forever out of reach.
I also now represent Brixham, one of the UK’s largest fishing ports – a place that supported the Brexit ideal, but where they now say they were hoodwinked by false promises.
So it is with some dismay that I enter a House where barely anyone is inclined to say: “This isn’t working. Let’s make it better.”
The Lib Dems were absolutely right to campaign hard on the state of the NHS, the scandal of sewage in our water, and the cost of living which has pushed so many people to the edge.
But what I find strange is the omertà around the impact Brexit is having on our country.
Rachel Reeves talks about the need for economic growth to create the wealth needed to pay for public services. Yet the £22bn black hole the government ‘discovered’ is dwarfed by the £40bn lost to tax revenue because of Brexit.
What I find strange is the omertà around the impact Brexit is having on our country
Surely now is the perfect time to set out a path to repair some of the damage and show the benefits of every step of that journey.
In 2019, as MEPs, we met the British Medical Association. They told us the catastrophe we were facing if the government didn’t agree mutual recognition of professional qualifications with the European Union. It ignored the warning calls, of course, and we quickly saw a lack of dentists, psychiatrists and anaesthetists, among other specialities. We must revisit this decision.
We must also look again at joining Erasmus+. Learning English is key for foreign students, and we’d do well with the reciprocal arrangement which is not part of our replacement Turing scheme. In 2018 nearly 30,000 students came to the UK to study and work – find me an industry that doesn’t think they could benefit from this.
And music… Nearly half our music creators say it is no longer viable to tour in the EU. Admin, transport and logistics costs have spiralled, and fewer UK artists are being booked. We are rightly proud of our brilliant music industry – and a new Cultural Touring Agreement with the EU would be a quick win for Keir Starmer.
We also need a veterinary agreement, which farmers and food exporters are crying out for. A short conversation with mussel farmers where I live is enough to see why: they have to get 17 forms signed in person by a vet for every export shipment. It’s a headache, it’s expensive, and there aren’t enough vets.
Part of our pathway to a closer relationship with the EU is to start talking about it. It’s time we were honest about the costs of voluntarily putting up trade barriers with our neighbours.
It took 20 years for the leave campaign to get its vote – this is a long process. But we must take the first steps, and as Liberal Democrats we should argue strongly for this. By doing so, rejoining the single market will become a much easier win. And from there… who knows? We might need proportional representation before they let us back in as members – but that’s even better!
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