Thank you for contacting me about Britain’s exit from the European Union.
Under the Conservative Party manifesto at the last election, we said we would leave the EU. I want us to stick to these promises and do not agree with delaying our current exit date of the 31st of October any further, nor with revoking Article 50.
The House of Commons has held multiple votes considering a wide variety of other options as a way forward on Brexit. MPs have voted on a host of options including revoking Article 50, joining the European Free Trade Area, joining the Customs Union and holding a second referendum. All were voted down.
The only way to leave that avoids no deal is to agree on a deal we want that the EU will also grant. At the time of asking Parliament has failed to agree a majority for anything else and no deal remains the legal default. I do not support amendments to unrelated legislation that represent an abuse of parliamentary process and are aimed at preventing no deal.
If we cannot get a deal by 31st October, I will support leaving the EU on WTO terms with the aim of later negotiating a free trade deal. This is an option we are prepared for. Outside the EU’s regulatory control a well-designed trade, agriculture, immigration, and fishing policy regime would give us an excellent chance of delivering significant longstanding benefits to our communities and our economy.
With regard to the prorogation of Parliament - This has been the longest Parliament since the Civil War, and the reality is that we do need a Queen’s Speech in order to set out a new legislative agenda for the Government. The fact of the matter remains that the 3 ½ week conference recess would have been happening anyway. With the Queen’s Speech set for Monday 14th October, this still allows plenty of time for Parliament to discuss any deal that the Prime Minister might bring back to the House of Commons. I remain committed to delivering on the result of the referendum and honouring our 2017 manifesto commitment.
