The Sunday Express, January 2, Matthew Patten
At the Centre for Brexit Policy, an independent cross-party thinktank, we are focused on boosting national prosperity and well-being in years to come. Our expert fellows and their reports have greatly informed the Brexit debate, together with a unique Sovereignty Scorecard to measure whether the government has lived up to its word.
It reveals serious concerns about the status of Northern Ireland, broken promises to the fishing industry, and the forest of dispute mechanisms and processes. But we take our hat off to Boris for getting the UK out of the EU last January, sticking to the transition period deadline, and now delivering what Sir Bill Cash described as ‘the UK’s sovereignty as a matter of law.’ The question is what will change as a result of our rediscovered sovereignty? How will we forge a distinctly British outwardly looking global position on the challenges facing us at home and abroad? Here are my New Year resolutions to get the best out of Brexit.
Positively recognise that everything we do from now on is in the UK interest. Supporting the trade agreement in the House of Lords, Baroness Hoey nailed it, saying ‘if our government and people show positivity, vision and enterprise, we can make our country great again, and even greater.’ The end of the transition period also saw the remain/leave tribal pass its sell-by-date. Sir Keir Starmer is right to move on. The LibDems will remain a sideshow until they embrace the world as it is, not as it was.
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