Rosie Duffield
MP for Canterbury, Whitstable and the Villages
A Stronger Relationship with Europe
Canterbury has long been an international city, and our European ties have brought prosperity for centuries.
Many in Canterbury, Whitstable and the Villages feel very strongly about this issue, frequently contacting me about the ongoing impact of Brexit on the economy, both nationally and locally here in East Kent.
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We see repeated missed opportunities for the UK, given our so-called ‘post-Brexit freedoms’, to show international leadership on a range of issues. It seems that opportunities that we do have to improve systems such as farming subsidies are quickly squandered, and this is a cause of much frustration.
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I continue to make the case for greater cooperation and closer ties with our European neighbours in Parliament.
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​​The impact of the Brexit deal on agriculture, fisheries, and environmental protections has been significant, having a particularly detrimental impact to our rural communities in our part of East Kent.
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I have heard from many local businesses whose operations have been massively affected by the ill-thought-out Brexit deal, and from people who are struggling to spend time with their families or work on the continent as a result of rules around access to the Schengen area.
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Exporters in Kent now face lengthy additionally administration to export to the EU, with new processes that have been poorly managed by the Government and badly communicated to businesses. Additional red-tape (which we were told was supposed to be cut as a result of Brexit) is causing critical delays to the transporting of perishable and high value goods. These businesses are often small and family-run, desperately trying to stay afloat in the context of a pandemic and cost-of-living crisis, and the continued uncertainty causes immense pressure and anxiety.​
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​The now frequent delays at the border as a result of the Brexit deal have led to gridlock across East Kent, and at ports and railway terminals, causing misery for thousands of travellers every day. Nobody voted to turn Kent into Europe’s biggest lorry park, and the Government needs to get a grip so that we can minimise the implementation of Operation Brock.​​
