In June 2016, I joined a majority of the British people and 70% of my constituents in voting to leave the European Union. In Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire, low-skilled migration from the European Union has undermined working conditions and strained our public services.
On the whole, those who voted to leave were determined that their lives should improve by taking back control over both of these. The looming prospect of “no deal” is not consistent with that aim. I believe firmly that those of us who voted to leave need to advocate for the best deal: for industry, for working people and for the country as a whole.
Friday’s progress in the Brexit talks was a welcome step forward for all of us who want this. Yet, as the weeks of posturing and the politicking on both sides of the negotiating table have dragged on, it has been clear that David Davis’s briefing notes could not seem further away from the concerns of my constituents who voted to leave. On issues from the Irish border to financial regulation, to keeping planes flying after Britain leaves the EU, both sides have seen fit to try to cow the other into submission by painting doomsday scenarios intended to weaken the other’s resolve to fight their own corner.
I believe a final deal could be quickly brokered if the British government thought seriously about what the vote to leave meant and sought access to the single market while seeking precise and relevant concessions on freedom of movement.
The best interests of Britain have not been aided by either side’s grandstanding – nor have the best interests of Europe. Many of us who argued to leave looked at the success of countries such as Norway and Switzerland, two of the wealthiest nations in the OECD, and saw that it was possible to succeed by having a constructive relationship with Europe without losing control to it.
At present, these countries must implement EU legislation and pay membership costs, but those who believe that emulating their arrangement means the UK would be bound by every stricture have failed to properly examine the fine detail.
EU citizens
- EU citizens in the UK and UK citizens in the rest of the EU have the right to stay. Rights of their children and those of partners in existing “durable relationships” are also guaranteed.
- UK courts will preside over enforcing rights over EU citizens in Britain but can refer unclear cases to the European court of justice for eight years after withdrawal.
Irish border
- The agreement promises to ensure there will be no hard border and to uphold the Belfast agreement.
- It makes clear the whole of the UK, including Northern Ireland, will be leaving the customs union.
- It leaves unclear how an open border will be achieved but says in the absence of a later agreement, the UK will ensure “full alignment” with the rules of the customs union and single market that uphold the Good Friday agreement.
- However, the concession secured by the DUP is that no new regulatory barriers will be allowed between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK without the permission of Stormont in the interest of upholding the Good Friday agreement.
Money
- There is no figure on how much the UK is expected to pay but the document sets out how the bill will be calculated – expected to be between £35bn and £39bn.
- The UK agrees to continue to pay into the EU budget as normal in 2019 and 2020.
- It also agrees to pay its liabilities such as pension contributions.
Other issues
- The two sides agreed there would be need for cooperation on nuclear regulation and police and security issues.
- There was an agreement to ensure continued availability of products on the market before withdrawal and to minimise disruption for businesses and consumers.
When Britain leaves, those, such as the Europhile French president Emmanuel Macron, who seek deeper integration at the centre of Europe, will likely get their way. On the fringes, however, countries who are rightly sceptical of such integration will form an ever more powerful counterweight to the integrationists. I believe that Britain could be a powerful addition to this group.
Together, Britain, Norway and Switzerland represent almost 20% of the combined GDP of the continent of Europe. This is larger than the economy of either France or Germany. Already, Switzerland’s economic strength has enabled it to extract real concessions on freedom of movement without losing its single-market access.
Late last year, Switzerland obtained a concession from Brussels allowing it to give Swiss nationals seeking jobs preferment over non-Swiss nationals. This ends the myth that with free trade must come unlimited freedom of movement for work.
The majority of my constituents have no significant concerns about the immigration policies in the City of London. Frankly, few would bat an eyelid if corporate visas allowed City firms to bring in whoever they want from wherever. Neither do they fret over overseas students in universities on Erasmus programmes or the nationality of academics.
Northern votes for Brexit were about sovereignty, about identity, but most crucially about the economic cost of cheaper foreign labour undercutting pay and conditions. I believe that seeking a deal on single market access and the labour market similar to that negotiated by Switzerland is the best possible representation of what I voted for.
Moving towards such a deal and working closely with other countries on the fringes of the European Union will give Britain real clout. British people who voted to leave will see their desires fulfilled as the UK is freed from the Brussels elite. British businesses will get the security of a tried-and-tested option that gives them the security they need to keep trading, to expand and to grow. The economic strength of Switzerland demonstrates the benefits of such an arrangement for Britain. Above all, British workers would get the best chance to thrive in a strong post-Brexit economy.
The people I represent voted for control over their future. They voted to get their voices heard. It is for them that I am calling for a sensible exit deal. I hope the government sits up and puts British workers at the heart of its negotiations by looking to Switzerland for inspiration.
• John Mann is Labour MP for Bassetlaw
