Last week the Brexit Bill was passed back through the House
of Commons and the House of Lords, and received Royal Assent on Thursday 16th
March. The Bill is now an Act of Parliament, and I am pleased the Prime
Minister has confirmed she will now make history and trigger Article 50 on 29th
March, beginning the UK’s formal exit negotiations to leave the European Union.
In the run up to the Prime Minister taking this next step, I
thought it worth touching on a few of the subjects relating to Brexit that
residents have recently raised with me.
Firstly regarding the status of EU citizens currently living
in the UK. The Government has guaranteed to protect the rights of EU citizens
currently living in the UK, as long as the EU states reciprocate and protect
the rights of UK citizens currently living in EU states. This is paramount in
negotiations for our Government but the EU has refused to negotiate until
Article 50 is formally triggered.
Secondly, regarding fishing and farming. I see this as a
great potential positive opportunity. I am determined to represent our local
fishing communities and to ensure that unlike our negotiations for joining the
ECC, the Government does not treat this vital industry as a bargaining chip and
that we get our fishing waters and fair quotas back. Regarding farming, the Government
has pledged to match Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funding until 2020. After
that we have the chance to change the way funding is applied, to make it fit
for purpose by rewarding good practice and productivity instead of arbitrarily
giving it to large landowners who do little to deserve it as we currently see.
Similarly, with funding for Cornwall, there is no question
to this Government’s commitment here, as we have seen unprecedented investment
in road and rail infrastructure both for and leading to Cornwall. As I have
previously said, the current and past EU funding Cornwall has received is
unwieldy and unfit for purpose. For example, despite the tourist industry being
the largest economic driver in Cornwall, there is no EU funding available for
it. I will do what I can to ensure the funding we do get, once the EU funding
stops, is better targeted and easier to access for people and businesses who
need it most.
Finally, looking at immigration, we need to be able to
manage immigration in the UK’s favour to meet our social and economic needs –
it isn’t a blanket stopping of all immigration and I am in favour of the
Government taking steps to change our immigration policy along these lines.
All in all I see the Brexit process as about opening the UK up
to the rest of the world instead of being locked into a small part of it. It is
about restoring the UK as a global, outward-looking country on the
international stage and I will continue to do all I can, along with my Cornish
MP colleagues, to ensure Cornwall gets the best deal out of this.
As always, my team and I are here to serve the whole
constituency and work hard to make a real difference to the lives of everyone
needing support. If there is an issue you would like my assistance on then
please contact me on either 01726 829379 or office@stevedouble.org.uk.
Additionally, I hold regular, appointment only, advice surgeries across the
constituency. Dates of these can be found at: www.stevedouble.org.uk/events
