Last week the people of South Derbyshire (60%) and a majority of the UK voted to leave the European Union. Although I recognise many people are disappointed with the result and worry about a future outside of the EU I view this as an amazing opportunity for our country.
Nationally 52% of people voted to leave so it is obviously an issue which has split the country nearly in half, but no matter how people voted it is now time for us to come together and work towards making the UK even greater.
This decision to leave the EU should not be viewed as us separating ourselves from our European neighbours, indeed we cannot remove ourselves from the continent of Europe. Instead this is a golden opportunity to have a better relationship with them and reach out to the rest of the world. Once we are no longer shackled by the European Union’s laws and endless directives we can finally have a positive relationship based upon trade and continue to cooperate on security matters through organisations such as NATO.
I want to assure my constituents and all readers that our economy is safe. Yes there have been ripples in the days since the vote but, with reassurances from the Chancellor and the Governor of the Bank of England I am certain the pound will return to its recent highs and our stock market will come back stronger than ever. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has already agreed the UK should not be ‘punished’ for democratically voting to leave the EU and we should have a mutually advantageous trade agreement.
Even more importantly our major local firms Rolls Royce, Bombardier and Toyota have said that they are here for the long haul, of course keeping an eye on costs as all businesses do.
Our place in the world is not under threat, we will always play a key role in international issues. Indeed US President Barack Obama, despite his opinions and views when he visited the UK a few months ago, has stated the US respects the democratic will of the British people and our special relationship will continue.
Although I am happy about Britain’s exit from the EU, I am deeply upset we have lost a wonderful Prime Minister, David Cameron. He has taken the UK from the brink of bankruptcy to the strong economy it is today. I shall remember him as strong and honourable, always making the tough decisions no matter what the opposition. I wish him, Samantha and his family all the luck in the world for their futures.
Our Country is in excellent shape and we all have good reason to be positive. We are entering a brave new world for the UK with endless possibilities and I hope everyone will get on board.
(This article was originally written for the Burton Mail newspaper).