Following the Prime Minister’s successful negotiation of a new deal, I am writing to update constituents so you can understand the reasons why I am supporting the Prime Minister and how this Brexit deal will ensure that we take back control.
I continue to receive hundreds of pieces of correspondence be it by phone, email or letter on this fraught debate which, as I have said before, makes it impossible for me to individually respond to each constituent.
As ever, the correspondence I receive is mixed, in line with the referendum result in Reigate. I appreciate that not every constituent will therefore agree with my views, but I hope these updates help clarify my position as your MP and provide you with a useful an update.
I will continue to post blogs such as this one, as significant developments arise. If you are a constituent of mine and would like to receive an email when a new post is uploaded, please let me know on crispinbluntmp@parliament.uk.
Finally on the front foot.
As I said in my previous update (https://www.blunt4reigate.com/news/brexit-update-crispin-blunt-mp-0), “The Prime Minister is right in pursuing a clear Brexit deadline of 31st October.” Clearly, he has indeed been proved right and has achieved what many said was impossible by negotiating this new deal allowing us to respect the referendum result and get Brexit done on 31 October, without disruption and in a friendly way.
From the start, the UK has been constantly deferring to the EU and failed to take the initiative when it came to the negotiations and the procedure. In the 85 days that Boris Johnson has been Prime Minister, his strategy has been scoffed at with many stating the impossibility of getting a new deal and getting Brussels to re-enter genuine negotiations.
However, he has surprised many. Johnson has successfully forced Brussels to re-open the deal and ensured Britain will no longer be bound by EU laws and taxes whilst the highly controversial undemocratic backstop has been removed and the supremacy of the European Court in Britain has been ended. The people of Northern Ireland have been given even more control of the laws they live by which is the antithesis of the backstop.
Simply put, this deal is Brexit through and through. Continuing to postulate otherwise would be delusional. Even more so after we leave the EU in two weeks’ time and are focusing on the people’s priorities and bringing the country together.
At the election in 2017 I was re-elected, along with over 80% of my Parliamentary colleagues in all parties to deliver on the referendum result. As things stand, we can achieve this fully and it would be illogical for my colleagues to reject this. Under the previous deal, Brussels had ultimate control and could have forced Britain to accept EU laws and taxes for ever. This new deal ensures that voters are in control and gives a larger democratic voice to the people of Northern Ireland. They will be in charge of the laws that they live by, and – unlike the backstop – will have the right to end the special arrangement if they so choose. There is now no doubt that Northern Ireland remains part of the UK’s customs territory and will benefit from the free trade deals we strike. We will also be able to change VAT rules and other tax laws that are currently determined by Brussels including in Northern Ireland.
Moving forward, we will be able to change our laws in a huge number of areas – from product standards to fishing rules to farming subsidies – where we are currently bound by EU rules. We will also have an unqualified right to strike our own trade deals around the world, and the whole UK will participate in them. Importantly, it will be our courts, applying our laws, which will be the highest authority in the land. English law is renowned around the world and the UK will remain one of the best places to do business.
Ultimately, this new deal ensures that we take back control of our laws, trade, borders and money without disruption, and provides the basis of a new relationship with the EU based on free trade and friendly cooperation. We will leave the EU’s Customs Union as one United Kingdom and be able to strike trade deals all around the world. It may have taken three years, but success is within our grasp. If the EU refuse any extension, ending the collective misery and economic damage of the uncertainty of deal or no deal then Saturday is high noon for Parliament.
Crispin Blunt MP