JUST OVER four years ago, the United Kingdom left the European Union.
Our exit was something a majority of voters in Redditch chose and, as your MP, I was given a mandate in 2019 to deliver.
I stuck to my word and four years on, this Conservative Government has got on with the job of taking back control of our laws, borders, and tariffs.
Whilst the doomsters predicted decline, and sadly still do, our economy has actually expanded since we left.
Since 2016, the UK has grown faster than Germany, Italy, and Japan and at a similar rate to France.
Our services exports are at a record high of £472billion and the IMF predicts between 2024 to 2028 the UK will see the third fastest growth in the G7 – stronger than France, Germany, Italy, and Japan.
These are not just abstract figures. These figures matter because economic growth means more business investment, more jobs and more revenue into the Exchequer to fund vital public services.
That’s why this Government is leveraging our post-Brexit freedoms to make the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a business.
We’ve already revoked or reformed more than 2,000 pieces of EU law with a clear roadmap to go further. This burdensome red tape got in the way of businesses achieving their full potential.
Brexit was also a vote for a more global Britain. That’s why this Government has negotiated free trade agreements with 73 countries from Mexico to Malaysia. And we have secured the most comprehensive deal the EU has ever agreed to in its history.
These countries accounted for £1.1trillion of our trade in 2022 alone.
Our trade deals with Australia and New Zealand – the first to be negotiated from scratch after Brexit – are helping homegrown companies break into new markets on the other side of the world, with the potential to bring in billions of pounds of new investment for the UK.
Our digital agreements with Singapore and Ukraine – regarded as blueprints by other nations striking similar deals – will boost our trading relationships in the digital economy and services sectors by extending market reach and ensuring the secure, tariff-free flow of digital content.
The UK will also shortly be joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership which will make more than 99 per cent of UK goods eligible for zero tariffs in the Asia-Pacific’s most dynamic economies.
And, this year, the Government is seeking further deals with more fast-growing economies including the Gulf Cooperation Council and India.
We are sticking to our plan to deliver the long-term change our country needs and build a brighter future for the UK, seizing the many opportunities and benefits Brexit has afforded our great country.
Rachel Maclean
Redditch MP
