By David Morris MP
A referendum has been called on our membership of the European Union for Thursday 23rd June 2016. I know in Morecambe and Lunesdale there are strong views on both sides of the argument and I am proud to be part of a Government that is giving people a say on something that we have not been able to vote on since 1975. No-one under the age of 58 has even had a say on our relationship with the European Union and I am glad that this is now going to change.
The question that will be on the ballot paper on June 23rd will be Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union? and you will be asked to select :Remain a member of the European Union or Leave the European Union.
My vote as your Member of Parliament holds no more weight than any vote of any of my constituents but I have decided to vote to remain a member of the European Union. This decision is not one I have taken lightly having always been a Eurosceptic but I believe that voting out would put jobs at risk in the constituency. I think this vote needs to be more than an ideological decision but one based on fact and considered risk and I believe that a vote to come out at this moment in time would not be one that would put the best interests of the Country at heart.
Yesterday I listened intently to the Prime Minister’s statement to the House of Commons Chamber and then made my decision on where my vote would lie. After much deliberation both in the chamber and over the weekend I decided to support the Prime Minister. In the chamber I said:
There is nobody in this House more Eurosceptic than myself, but I am standing at the side of the Prime Minister on this one, because the Prime Minister has always stood by me and my people in Morecambe. In my constituency, we have the port of Heysham, through which 10% of our GDP passes, most of it from Northern Ireland. We also have two EDF nuclear power stations, which are sponsored by the French Government. I do not want jobs to be lost in my constituency, especially as its unemployment rate is the lowest it has been for generations. Does my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister agree with me on that synopsis?
I think that statement accurately represents how I came to my decision. I have always said as far back as the 90’s when asked about Europe that I want to be in Europe but not run by Europe and I think by coming to the decision to support the Prime Minister my stance on Europe has not changed. I think that the Prime Ministers package of reforms are nothing short of miraculous as it is notoriously hard to negotiate powers back from Europe. The Prime Minister has made waves in key areas such as us not being a part of the ever closer union, the UK not being part of any Eurozone bail out, and ensuring that our benefits system is less accessible and lucrative to EU migrants to ensure that they cannot come to this country just to access our benefits system.
At the heart of my decision though is my constituency and the jobs that the EU secures and provides. I have heard from the out campaign that other people will step in and we can make deals with other countries after Brexit but I have not been convinced as the detail has not been forthcoming. I have not heard from anyone yet who can tell me what a post Brexit Britain will look like. Can we really afford a trade deal to take 6/7 maybe more years before we are back to a position we are in now. What will happen to us in the immediate future? The pound yesterday already hit the lowest level lowest level since 2009, following the talk of the referendum and I am worried where it will be after Brexit if the Country decides to leave.
Our Constituency of Morecambe and Lunesdale is currently prospering with an extremely low level of unemployment and this will be even lower when our link road is finished and more companies come into the area. Could we afford the likes of EDF to pull out of our power station when they have just agreed life extension? I don’t think that we could.
I am also gravely concerned for the financial state of our farming community in the Lune Valley should the country vote out. The single farm payment or as it is now know the basic payment scheme is a European grant paid to farmers based on the size of their land and is often a lifeline to farmers which allows them to continue their business. If we were to exit Europe this scheme would not be available and would not necessarily be replaced immediately if at all on the same scale. This could lead to rural areas such as the Lune Valley loosing farming as a vocation altogether.
I do not want to see a decision made following ideology which would have worked in the 1970’s when we had the common market, effect Morecambe and Lunesdale with what we have built now with EU companies and trade building our economy locally.
For this reason I think that I will use my head and vote to protect jobs and economic security in my constituency and vote to back the Prime Minister’s reforms and stay in the European Union.
I will not however be campaigning in the referendum as I believe that this is the peoples referendum. I have had my say and it is now time for you to have yours. Back whichever side you think is right on June 23rd. Whatever your decision and regardless of the outcome I am proud to be part of a Government who have given my constituents that choice.