Missing EU already
What has the Brexit deal ever done for the people of Leigh?
The recent interview by Andrew Marr with the Prime Minister [1] could have been the work of Monty Python when Mr Marr asked how the Brexit deal was going to benefit the people of Leigh, a Conservative gain from Labour at the last election.
With his customary smirk, Mr Johnson started by referencing ‘funding’ that was now coming back to the UK. There was no detail so let me fill in the gap.
The net contribution by the UK before Brexit was £9.4 billion. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimate that the financial settlement may cost the UK around £33 billion by the time the final payment is made, possibly in the 2060s.
Apparently, we should be enthused and excited by the marvellous opportunities of being able to export everywhere and anywhere.
If you have a business in Leigh (or elsewhere), you need to start by reading the 159 page export guide published in December 2020. The good news is it’s the same rules whether you’re planning to export to Ireland or Papua New Guinea.
Don’t forget that we now have control of our borders with a smart points based immigration system in place.
I’m sure the 9% of NHS doctors and 6% of NHS nurses from Europe are delighted that other ‘foreigners’ will now think twice before joining them. Nationals from the European Economic Area (EEA) no longer benefit from automatic recognition of their professional qualifications either.
Freeports, don’t forget Freeports, fabulous idea.
As Mr Marr interjected, there are already 80 of them across Europe.
Damn. Well we stopped that nasty electric pulse trawler fishing on day one.
How’s that benefited the people of Leigh a landlocked suburb of Greater Manchester? It’s also something that those pesky ‘Frenchies’ have done as well.
The real impact on the people of Leigh happened in the 4 months after the Referendum on 23rd June, 2016 when the pound fell 16% against the euro. To avoid a price hike on a Mediterranean holiday, they’re more likely to have booked all inclusive packages or gone to Turkey instead, where the local currency is even more feeble than the UKs.
Let’s also hope that the people of Leigh don’t use their mobile phones when abroad because the cost to ‘roam like at home’ is no longer guaranteed. At least the government had the common sense to put in a safeguard capping the expense to a maximum of £45 per month.
A more honest answer to Mr Marr’s question could have been given by Mr Ken Clarke, the former Tory Chancellor, not that anyone would waste their time listening to that old has-been.
“We are effectively putting the clock back 50 years, and going back to the days when you need an international driving license and a green card, you won’t get free healthcare and your insurance will cost you more”.
[1] The BBC’s Andrew Marr Show