Layla Moran
Main Page: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)Department Debates - View all Layla Moran's debates with the Cabinet Office
(1 day, 20 hours ago)
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Mr Paul Kohler (Wimbledon) (LD)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Edward. Brexit weakened the UK economically and politically. That is why it was supported by Putin, Trump and the Member for Mar-a-Lago and Moscow. I expected little else from them but remain bemused that the Conservative party went along with that folly despite the views of many of its MPs, including my honourable predecessor in Wimbledon, Stephen Hammond. But we are where we are. It falls to us in Parliament now to repair the damage that Brexit has done.
I was consequently encouraged to hear the Prime Minister’s more positive words today. He was, however, markedly more ambivalent when he campaigned in Makerfield, and even now he remains wedded to his predecessor’s red lines on the customs union and single market, which necessarily means that any progress in the much-delayed EU summit will be severely limited. But at least he is doing better than the Tories, who are still in denial. Just last week, their deputy leader vowed to reverse any progress made in re-engaging with Europe. I tell my Conservative colleagues to wake up and stop digging, as all they are doing is burying our one real chance to swiftly grow the UK economy.
Speak to any business owner trading with Europe and their verdict is the same: more paperwork, more checks, more delays. That the true cost of Brexit.
Layla Moran (Oxford West and Abingdon) (LD)
It is not just business owners who can see the cost, but the workers. I was struck when a constituent who works in the Mini plant in Oxford wrote to me. He supported Brexit at the time, but he has since seen how the racist rhetoric is making it harder for him to be in his community, and his job feels precarious. He now says he would happily rejoin. Does my hon. Friend agree that workers as well as owners are seeing what has happened to their jobs after that disastrous deal?