
The events immediately following the result of the EU referendum were momentous and will shape the future of our country for years to come.
Against all the odds and certainly against expectations of the government and the markets the British people decided that, after 43 years as a member of the EU, it was no longer for us.
I hear that message and respect and agree with that decision, and the Government must too. In my constituency, the margin of the vote to Leave was higher than the national figure at around 55%-45%. With a turnout of 72% of the British public, which was the highest in a UK-wide election since 1992, 17,410,742 people voting Leave – the biggest vote in British history for anything – and with all the regions of the UK voting to ‘Leave’ outside London, Scotland and Northern Ireland, it was a solid endorsement.
Regardless of your position on the Leave/Remain question, this was certainly a victory for democracy and I hope that this level of engagement on important political issues can be maintained in the future.