There really is only one issue for my column this week - the
decision made by the Prime Minister last Tuesday, to announce a Snap General
Election for 8th June.
Make no mistake about it, this General Election is all about
the continued Brexit process and who we as a country want to be leading these
crucial negotiations.
The Prime Minister has now triggered Article 50, the formal
mechanism by which we are leaving the European Union. There is no going back.
We now head into the negotiations that will determine the terms of Brexit and
our future relationship with the EU. As in any negotiation we need our leaders
to be in the strongest possible position and have confidence that the nation
and Parliament are behind them.
There is a very simple choice before us. We will either have
Theresa May or Jeremy Corbyn as Prime Minister. Theresa May has shown herself
over the past 9 months to be the competent strong leader our country needs at
this time. The alternative is the coalition of chaos led by Jeremy Corbyn, who doesn’t
even have the support of his own Parliamentary Party.
Over the past year we have seen the opponents of Brexit and
the democratic decision that was made following the vote on our membership of
the EU last year, repeatedly try to delay or water down the Brexit process. As
the Prime Minister has said:
“In recent weeks
Labour have threatened to vote against the final agreement we reach with the
European Union, the Liberal Democrats have said they want to grind the business
of government to a standstill, the SNP say they will vote against the
legislation that formally repeals Britain's membership of the European Union
and unelected members of the House of Lords have vowed to fight us every step
of the way.”
At a time when our country requires clear leadership and
certainty about the future, those that are seeking to disrupt this process are
not acting in the interest of our country. The Prime Minister has now called
them out on this and the country will get to make a decision on who you think is
best placed to lead this process.
I will happily admit that this election is a surprise. Being
your MP and representing you in Parliament this past two years has been the
greatest honour of my life. I will be seeking re-election once again at this
election. I believe I have shown in the past 23 months that I am the hard
working strong voice our constituency needs.
I will be out and about in the coming weeks, knocking on
doors and meeting as many people as possible. I look forward to seeing many of
you, to listen to your views, so that I can understand what you would want from
me as your MP, should I be re-elected.
During the campaign my constituency office will remain open
for anyone who needs help with any issues. Please do get in touch if you think
I can help. You can call my office on 01726 829379 or email
office@stevedouble.org.uk
