As you will know, Theresa May resigned as leader of the Conservative Party on 7 June and has now been replaced as Prime Minister by Boris Johnson.

I believe that Theresa May has worked tirelessly to secure a good deal for the UK and I commend her determination, stamina and sense of duty. The new Prime Minister has inherited the same arithmetic in Parliament and I believe that a deal will only pass if there is compromise on all sides. The EU has said that it will not re-start discussions on the Withdrawal Agreement and Parliament has repeatedly voted against no deal. The extended Article 50 period ends on 31 October and the Government continues to prepare for all eventualities.

I believe that the deal negotiated by the former Prime Minister would have allowed the UK to take back control of its laws, borders and money but Parliament rejected the Government’s deal on three occasions. When MPs were invited to vote on a variety of options regarding leaving the EU, they rejected all of them. They included leaving without a deal, holding a second referendum and not leaving at all.

The new Prime Minister and his Government must now seek to reach agreement with the EU if possible, but the British peole have decided we should leave the EU and leave we must.