On 12th March I voted against Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement. It isn’t what people were promised during the Referendum, it’s a worse deal than we have now, and it doesn’t answer any of the fundamental questions about our future relationship with the EU so the uncertainty facing our country will go on for years to come. You can watch my interview on Sky News about my opposition to May’s Withdrawal Agreement here.

On 13th March, I voted to rule out leaving the EU without a deal because of the all the risks and uncertainty this would cause.

On 14^th March, I voted to in favour of an extension to the Article 50 process so we don’t crash out of the EU on 29th March and to give us more time to try and sort this mess out. I was proud to put my name to another amendment that would have enabled MPs to vote on different options about where we go from here, and I was disappointed that this was narrowly defeated. You can read more about the amendments here.

You can watch the debate I had about Brexit on the BBC’s Politics Live programme here.

I was hugely disappointed by the Government’s £1.6 billion Stronger Towns Fund, which is designed to boost local economies that haven’t benefited from growth. The money on offer is pathetically inadequate in the face of years of Government funding cuts forced on the most deprived parts of our country.

The East Midlands will be allocated just £110 million over seven years. In contrast, Leicester City Council alone has seen its budget cut by £100 million a year since 2010. Local businesses have already described the money on offer from the Government as “a drop in the ocean”.

You can read more about the fund and the reaction from across Leicestershire here.

I am very concerned about the risks of Britain leaving the EU without a deal because of the huge uncertainty this will cause. For example, food and drink manufacturing companies employ around 1,200 people here in Leicestershire, and the Food and Drink Federation has warned that a no deal Brexit could cause serious disruption to “just in time” supply chains, increased red tape and costs for businesses, and rising prices for consumers. 

That’s why on Tuesday 29th January, I voted for a number of different motions that would stop a no deal Brexit. You can read my speech in Parliament here.

You can also listen to an interview I gave about Brexit to BBC Radio 4’s Westminster Hour here, and watch my interview on Sky news here.

A no deal Brexit would be catastrophic for Leicester and the UK, seeing businesses that rely on exporting to the EU hit by new tariffs and delays at the border, meaning costs would rise and jobs would be put at risk. On 7 January, I wrote to Theresa May, alongside more than 200 MPs, calling on the Government to ensure a no deal Brexit doesn’t happen. Read more about the letter here.

I also signed and voted for Yvette Cooper’s successful amendment, which will help stop a no deal Brexit by preventing the Government from using certain powers in the Finance Bill unless there is a specific vote in Parliament.