Many constituents have contacted me regarding the EU referendum and what this now means for the UK. The referendum turnout was 71.8%, with 30 million people voting. Whilst the result of the referendum was extremely close, with 52% voting to leave and 48% voting to remain, it is clear that there were various reasons as to why people voted one way or another.
I personally decided to remain, as I thought it was in the best interests of the country. However, the referendum gave everybody the opportunity to an equal vote, and the referendum result cannot be rejected. The result gave a clear message that the public didn’t feel the EU worked, and there were certain policy areas people were concerned about.
In light of this, we cannot ignore the leave vote and the mandate given by the millions who voted leave.
We must now look to forging a new relationship, where we continue to co-operate with the EU to take the country forward. The Prime Minister has stated that the government is committed to building a country that works for everyone, which is why we must honour the outcome of the referendum, whilst also being mindful of those who voted to remain.