Tag Archives: Brexit

A senior Lincolnshire councillor said he has no “Bregrets” over the Brexit vote and accused the government of not going far enough to fulfil its referendum commitments.

Councillor Colin Davie, Lincolnshire County Council’s executive portfolio holder for environment and economy, said he remained “proud” of the decision the British people took in the 2016 referendum.

Today (Wednesday) marks the third anniversary of the UK’s departure from the European Union and a number of reports nationally have criticised the UK’s economy with dips in trade, increases in import costs, stalling investment and fewer workers in the UK.

A survey by pollster UnHerd Britain earlier this week found that many UK constituencies now think Britain was wrong to leave the EU with only Boston and Skegness not showing regret over the decision.

Councillor Davie said: “As far as I’m concerned, government has a responsibility to deliver the wishes of British people, and that is to deliver the Brexit they voted for.

“For me, that means control of our borders, control of immigration policy, control of our economy.

“I don’t think government has fulfilled its full commitment in terms of what Brexit should be and can be.

“I don’t regret what the British people did. I think the opportunities of the future are still huge and enormous and I think if we deliver what the British people wanted, they will see the benefits long term.”

Councillor Davie believed the data did not properly consider the impacts of COVID lockdowns or the Ukraine war.

In his view the economy was “moving pretty well” with “many vacancies”.

“We’ve got a shortage of workers and skilled workers in particular so we need to be investing in the talent of the British people and that’s what I’m going to continue to say to my friends in government – invest in us, invest in this place, invest in the British people and the benefit for Brexit will be multiplied fivefold,” he said.

Councillor Davie continued to believe Brexit would be achieved, telling reporters: “The British people will not ever go back on what they voted, and no political party is going to be brave enough to try and take us back to where we came from.

“There is no British government brave enough to ignore the mandate of the British people,” he added.

---

MyLocal Lincolnshire is the new home of The Lincolnite. Download the app now.

The Boston and Skegness constituency has kept its crown as the Brexit capital in a poll which claims it’s the only constituency to not regret leaving the EU.

The overwhelming majority of the UK now thinks that Britain voted for the wrong choice in the referendum, it claims.

Respondents were asked by pollster UnHerd Britain whether they agreed with the statement “Britain was wrong to leave the EU”.

Boston and Skegness, which had the highest Leave vote in the country, saw 41% disagree with the statement and 37% agree.

It is still represented by MP Matt Warman, who was in favour of Remaining.

Two other Lincolnshire constituencies were also rated second and third in terms of not regretting Brexit.

The infographic shows areas with the highest percentage of regret in darkest green, and pink for those happy with the decision.

In Louth and Horncastle, 41% both agreed and disagreed with the statement.

South Holland and the Deepings was also tied at 40% to 40%.

Tuesday, January 31 will be the third anniversary of Britain formally giving up EU membership.

Since then, the tide has swung against Brexit nationally according to the poll.

54% of respondents agreed that Britain was wrong to leave, and 41% disagreed.

However, the poll didn’t ask people’s opinion on whether the country should rejoin the EU.

Lincoln was the county’s most anti-Brexit constituency, according to the results, with 52% against the decision and 26% in favour.

Other Lincolnshire communities which are represented by Brexit-supporting MPs also appear to be souring on the result.

Great Grimsby – which was another Leave stronghold – now has 44% regretting the result and 31% still in favour.

Gainsborough is 46% regretting to 36% in favour.

Some voters have become sceptical whether the promised benefits of Brexit – such as the £350m a week for the NHS – will materialise.

However, the government says it remains committed to making the most of the opportunities.

The full breakdown can be found online.

Let us know whether you would vote differently in the referendum today

---

MyLocal Lincolnshire is the new home of The Lincolnite. Download the app now

Lincolnshire’s economy chief said the benefits of Brexit have not yet been realised due to COVID and other issues, as the county faces a major workforce shortage and the UK a “worse than a storm” financial future.

Councillor Colin Davie, the county council’s portfolio holder for Environment and Economy, however said Lincolnshire was “well-placed” to survive the hardships ahead.

“I don’t think there is any time in our history, probably since the 1930s, where so many issues have aligned at once that could fundamentally destabilise the country, let alone the economy.

“However, Lincolnshire has always been more resilient than most parts to economic and political storms, and I think it is still well-placed to come through the period we are about to enter.

“[This] in my view is going to be not just a storm, it’s going to be something so much more fundamental than that. It’s going to make us all question what government is about, what work is about, and who we believe and who we trust.”

“Everyone’s impacted by rising energy costs and political instability in the world, we are facing challenging times and I’ve got no doubt that the autumn and winter period will test all of us politically and as individuals and members of society like we’ve never been tested before.”

He said workforce would be the biggest challenge for the nation and Lincolnshire, along with a falling birthrate.

The councillor, who is also a district member for the East Coast, said: “I’ve got businesses in on the coast who can’t recruit staff to work in their restaurants or bars and the owners and managers are doing the work themselves.

“They can’t do it forever and if they can’t get staff they’ll end up closing – that’s what we’re gonna see in the autumn if we’re not careful.”

He said there needed to be a step-change in the way workforces were utilised and greater investment in automation.

Brexit not solely to blame for issues

However, Councillor Davie warned against people using Brexit as a “blame mechanism”.

A recent planning application for 60-bed accommodation Staples Brothers farm in Sibsey saw the owners blame the EU-departure for making it increasingly difficult to find seasonal workers.

“Brexit has made sourcing appropriate labour more difficult, and we’ve never been able to source sufficient labour from those living in the UK,” they said in the planning form.

However, Councillor Davie argued the bigger challenge was the weaker exchange rate for the pound, meaning that it was nearly on par with what the migrant workers could earn in their own countries.

He added that the migrant’s own countries were facing similar labour shortages.

“So employing foreign labour is more expensive, and they don’t want to come because they can work in their own country.

“Why would you want to come to the UK when you can virtually earn the same money in terms of buying power at home and not leave your families behind.”

He added: “The benefits of Brexit have not been realised yet because we’ve been too busy dealing with COVID.

“There are measures the government can take if they want to drive the Brexit dividend forward, and that’s what they should do.”

He did, however, accept that “the bureaucratic process of bringing workers here – the process they have to go through – needs sorting out”.

“That is an issue, but the biggest challenge now is workforce availability. We’re now competing for workforce like we never used to.”

Asked if he felt Brexit was putting workers off due to fears over how they were viewed or treated as non-English, he said: “No, they’re not at all.”

“They can work at home because they’ve got the same problems we’ve got – an ageing population, less young people available – so they’re having to hold on to their own people by paying them more money.”

He said for Brexit to move forward, there needed to be a “clearing of the decks”. With government ministers taking control from civil service advisors and doing “what the right thing is for our country”.

He said this meant more local, fairer funding and control over service provision.