Let’s repair our ‘broken relationship’ says Bath MP

[Mrs Hobhouse in the European Parliament]

I, for one, am proud to say l did not vote for Brexit and, according to our city MP, Wera Hobhouse, in the 2016 referendum, Bath was among the top six per cent highest remain-voting constituencies in the UK.

Following a petition to parliament to rejoin the issue, numbers signing were sufficient to trigger a debate on the issue in the Commons.

Mrs Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath, urged the government to repair the UK’s “broken relationship” with the European Union to improve security, energy costs, and opportunities for young people in Bath.

Following a visit to Brussels as part of the Parliamentary Partnership Assembly last week, the Bath MP noted the importance of strengthening people-to-people contact between the UK and the European Union. 

Mrs Hobhouse suggested that a Youth Mobility Scheme could achieve this while providing opportunities for young people across the country to live and work on the continent. She also highlighted the potential for the government to expand the Turing scheme, which provides apprenticeships and work placements for young people across the world, by making it reciprocal.

During the debate, the Bath MP also raised the impact of Brexit on the cost of energy. Presently, without closer ties between the UK and Europe, consumers face footing a £10 billion bill of energy related costs by the end of this Parliament, while private investment into our clean energy industry risks being disincentivised. To resolve this, Mrs Hobhouse urged the government to consider how to improve energy trading with the EU.  

Looking to defence, Mrs Hobhouse noted the shared security interest to protect and defend Europe. She asked the government to look at ways to improve security procurement and to ensure that our defence systems can work together in an increasingly unstable world.

Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath, said:

“Our broken relationship with Europe can be attributed to years of Conservative neglect. Their Brexit deal has hurt young people, consumers, investment, and security. 

“The path forward is clear. The damage caused by Brexit cannot be undone overnight, but with the right approach, we can rebuild the trust and cooperation needed to secure a better relationship with our closest friends.

“In an increasingly unstable world, improving our ties with the continent is more important now than ever.”