By: Andrea Leadsom MP, Conservative Member of Parliament for South Northamptonshire
It is now four months since
the beginning of this referendum campaign when I declared my support for a
Leave vote on Thursday. In that time
there has been an enormous amount said and written about the arguments for and
against the UK’s continued membership of the EU.
I do not intend to repeat the
points I set out in my original open letter.
You can read it again here (www.andrealeadsom.com/downloads/eurefletter.pdf)
if you wish. But I do feel I should give
an update on where I think we have got to on the core issues after so much
debate.
The EU’s direction is not right for us.
The EU is set on political and
economic union: it is the express purpose of the treaties and it is necessary
to support the Euro. No currency zone in
the history of the world has survived without political union and only we and
Denmark have an opt-out. Every other EU
country is in the Euro or committed to join.
The EU is a Euro club and we cannot pretend we can avoid its rules and
consequences.
And the EU is set on expansion
– that is its history and clear intent.
Five more countries are being prepared to join. Nobody knows the timetable – only the
inevitable conclusion. Past experience tells us that the promise of vetoes and
future referendums are of limited value in arresting this process.
We have a bright future outside the EU.
In total 170 countries in the
world are outside the EU. Most of them
have sensible trading arrangements, including with Europe, and workable
immigration policies. This is not some
fantasy land. This is the normal
operating basis of four-fifths of the globe.
And we are in such a strong
position to make the most of the opportunity.
We are the fifth largest economy, with great natural advantages
including our language, legal system, the great City of London, and our great
trading history and creative and engineering talents. Nearly eighty per cent of the world’s GDP
lies outside the EU and, in marked contrast to the EU, most of it is growing
strongly. We need to embrace that
opportunity to ensure our future prosperity.
We are the second largest
economy in the EU, the fifth largest in the world. When the heat and noise of this referendum
has passed and politicians in Europe have once more to calculate the interests
of their electorates, they will want to continue to trade with us, and continue
to access the capital their companies need through London.
Freedom of movement of people
within the EU would be laudable if living standards across the continent were
anything like equal. Given the current
disparities, however, it is placing strain on our services and depresses wages
and opportunities in our labour market.
It is also the back-door by which any future Euro-crisis directly and
immediately impacts the UK.
We will continue to trade with the EU and be European.
Nor is this a cultural
separation, although it suits some to paint it in this light. We will continue to be proud Europeans, just
as much as the Norwegians or the Swiss or anyone else. Our shared history and culture, our enduring
friendship and support, our very defence arrangements through NATO, these are
all built on much stronger ground than just allegiance to Brussels.
We must take back control of our borders.
Ultimately, everyone’s economy
is local. Trade balances, sterling, the
inflation rate – these are important macro indicators but they are next to
meaningless if you are stuck on the minimum wage or can’t get access to housing
or to healthcare. We must address an
imbalance that has persisted for too long between the interests of ordinary
people in this country and those of big business, the Brussels and London
elites, and their various fan clubs.
I am clear as to my
conclusions. We need to take back control of our economy, our trade, our
borders and our sovereignty.
There is absolutely no
doubt. The EU is yesterday’s game. The UK’s future is global. Vote Leave on 23rd June.
Best wishes,
Andrea Leadsom MP
Member of Parliament for South
Northamptonshire
This open letter was published at the request of a Parliamentary Assistant to Andrea Leadsom MP
An Open Letter on Why We Should Vote Leave on June 23rd
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