REDDITCH MP Rachel Maclean has said she hopes ‘we can put the divisions of the past behind us and move forward as a more united country’ now a Brexit trade deal has been done.
Her call echoes that of Prime Minister Boris Johnson after he won the General Election last year, but instead of healing divisions, that sparked 12 months of bitter fights over Brexit as the nation battled – and continues to battle – the coronavirus pandemic.
Mrs Maclean said she had spent Christmas reading through the detail of the trade agreement with the European Union, adding: “It is my belief this deal delivers on what my constituents voted for in 2016, provides businesses with the certainty they need and enables the UK to strike trade deals with new markets, reasserting ourselves as a liberal and free trading nation.”
She said with that in mind she would be voting for the deal when it comes before the House of Commons today, Wednesday, December 30.
“This deal is the first free trade agreement based on zero tariffs and zero quotas the EU has ever agreed,” she said.
“We know that Redditch’s economy is reliant on manufacturing, and this deal will allow our businesses to continue to trade smoothly with our European friends and people will still be able to buy goods from Europe tariff-free.
“We will also be able to further support our businesses as this deal allows us to introduce our own modern subsidy system so we can better support businesses to grow and thrive.”
