Thursday 9 February 2017

"Brexit won't turn the clock back" warns Meriden MP


MERIDEN MP Caroline Spelman fears that some Brexit voters may have unrealistic expectations about the impact that leaving the EU will have on immigration.
Speaking in the House of Commons last week, Dame Caroline (pictured above) said that while she had been "surprised" that a majority of the West Midlands had voted Leave she respected the outcome of last summer's vote.
Conceding that many of the conversations she had with local people during the campaign had been on the issue of immigration, the Conservative backbencher voiced concerns the eventual outcome might not be what some expect.
She also emphasised the importance of being honest with the public if Brexit was to be successful.
"I worry that our electors expect that taking back control will mean that very few migrants will arrive here," she told Parliament.
"However, our history as an empire means that there are family obligations to non-EU migrants and an absolute obligation, through the Geneva and The Hague conventions, to provide safe haven for the most vulnerable people, many from countries for which we drew the lines on a map."
The former Environment Secretary also pointed out that many employers relied on migrant labour - either because of a lack of skilled workers or an unwillingness among Britons to do certain low-paid jobs.
"I hope that all that is great about Britain is not sacrificed in pursuit of an unrealistic ambition to go back to some mythical time when we were in control of all we surveyed," she added.
Yesterday evening, Mrs Spelman voted in favour of triggering Article 50 and beginning the formal negotiations to leave the EU. The Bill passed by 494 votes to 122.
During the debate, the Tories were accused of positioning Britain as a "bargain basement tax haven" by Labour, although the Official Opposition was also in turmoil after a sizeable number of the party's MPs defied the leadership and voted against the Bill.

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