The Prime Minister has just announced he will step down in October following the EU Referendum result and I want to start by paying tribute to David Cameron, we were on different sides of the EU debate but I have always believed in him as leader of our country and my party.
Mr Cameron became Prime Minister during turbulent times, cast your minds back to the beginning of 2010, the economy had crashed, unemployment was high and we had Gordon Brown in Number 10.
David Cameron has overseen economic stability and growth, a record number of people in work – including a record low unemployment locally, 3 million more apprenticeships for young people, vast improvements in school standards and huge investments in our NHS, lower taxes for millions of people and the introduction of the National Living Wage for the lowest paid workers. He will also go down in history as the man who led the first coalition Government since the war and I doubt many people would have been as successful as he was in keeping two different parties together whilst seeing real progress in the country.
I am saddened that he has stepped down, he kept his promise and gave each of us a say on our relationship with the EU by holding a referendum and now believes stepping down is the honourable thing.
Locally residents in North Warwickshire and Bedworth voted by two-to-one in favour of leaving the European Union – and I was one of those who voted to leave. A clear decision and I am delighted that I was in tune with the overwhelming majority of my constituents.
The British people have also spoken in an historic decision.
I can’t help but come to the conclusion that the EU only has itself to blame for the UK leaving - the ball was in their court on our continued membership when the PM went looking for reform. The country has now decided that we didn’t get the reform it needed.
The EU hasn’t listened to the concerns of people across Europe, and those in power have been complacent.
The British people have had enough of the undemocratic way the EU operates, that our national government who we democratically elect is not sovereign, of the EU’s overriding aim of political expansion and of being told that we cannot control our own borders and have a say on who can come to our country.
By leaving we now have a huge opportunity, we can decide and negotiate relationships and trade with whoever we want, on our own terms. We will still trade with the rest of Europe but also the rest of the world and we will be in control of negotiating agreements on behalf of the UK.
There may be some uncertainty in the short-term but whichever way you voted, do not doubt what our great country is capable of; we now have our destiny in our own hands.