The Brexit negotiations are tough and look set to be increasingly difficult but the Prime Minister has got us over the first hurdle.
Last week, the Prime Minister was able to secure agreement from EU leaders that ‘sufficient progress’ has been made on the key issues of the so-called divorce talks – citizens’ rights, the Brexit Bill and the Northern Irish border. It now means that we can move onto Phase 2: the framework of a trade deal and our future relationship with the EU.
This is a significant step and proves to the detractors that, with a lot of hard work and commitment, we have been able to move forward with the Brexit talks.
It hasn’t been without huge challenges and not just from our European Union friends who we would expect to be tough negotiators, however.
Unfortunately, people who should have been standing up for Britain – our democratically elected representatives – are doing all they can to undermine Theresa May when she goes to negotiate with the EU. Labour have tried at every moment possible to obstruct Brexit and enacting the will of the British people. They have tabled amendment after amendment to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill, currently making its way through Parliament, in a bid to delay progress. Labour’s approach to Brexit is a shambles. They have no plans to deliver control over our borders, laws and money – in fact I’m not even convinced that they even want to.
There was confusion and chaos this weekend when one of their senior Shadow Ministers, Tom Watson, confirmed that Labour would consider a second referendum, just minutes after Diane Abbott ruled one out. But only two weeks ago, Diane Abbott told her constituents that she backed a second EU referendum after Jeremy Corbyn said he would consider one. And yet yesterday Diane Abbott said that the Labour Party had never supported a second referendum. Can you keep up? I must admit, I’m struggling.
Labour are doing the bidding of the EU bureaucrats in wanting the British referendum to be the best of three but we won’t let them get away with it.
Despite Labour’s attempts to obstruct us, we are making good progress on Brexit.
Even Jean-Claude Junker, the President of the European Commission, last week described the Prime Minister as a ‘tough, smart and polite negotiator’. There is still a lot of work to do, but I am heartened by the progress we have made so far but we have to ensure the final deal is right for us.
Since my last column, Wigan MBC have rejected Atherton as the Council’s choice for the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Town Centre Challenge which will be no surprise to local residents.
I can’t say I was surprised by this decision – time and time again, Wigan has overlooked our town.
Even Wigan Council’s own report on the decision suggested that Atherton hadn’t been picked because it would require too much work. Do we need to remind them that the reason why it may ‘require too much work’ is because we are continuously overlooked for schemes like this?
Across my constituency, people tell me that the further away you get from the town hall the less the council leadership care about local people.
We have a lovely town centre with great shops and cafes and a real community identity – you can barely walk a few yards down Market Street without someone saying hello. No one denies, however, that we could do with a little bit of investment.
Over the years, we have continuously been passed over for regeneration and investment. I don’t begrudge other towns receiving support, but a pattern does appear to be emerging now.
We have had promise after promise that Atherton will be a priority for regeneration, but we are yet to see any action. What are Atherton’s Labour Councillors doing to challenge their own Labour leadership over this?
Perhaps it’s time for Wigan’s leadership to leave their offices in Wigan and travel to the other side of the Borough and find out why people are so angry. If they attended one of Atherton Residents’ Association’s monthly meetings, they’d get the facts pretty sharpish.
Is it time for us to break away and form a new council? One where our voices won’t be drowned out by a Wigan-centric Council?