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Richard Drax

Member of Parliament for South Dorset

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Blog - a sovereign country once again

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Wednesday, 30 December, 2020

I must hand it to the Prime Minister, he’s pulled off a deal with the EU against all the odds. What’s more he’s stuck to his word and delivered on the verdict of the EU referendum, which seems light years ago now. Back in 2006, when I first became involved in standing for Parliament, I adopted the battle cry: “We want our country back.” It was so catchy, that Nigel Farage began using it, too. Being an optimist, I strove to deliver on what I believed was best for our country and, along with many others, fought to regain our sovereignty. The first step was to have a referendum and then to win it. To be fair to David Cameron, he gave us the first, but then backed the wrong side in the second, and left office. He was replaced by Theresa May, herself a Remainer, who promised to deliver Brexit. She told me personally at Chequers that that’s what she would do, and she singularly failed, her obfuscation causing chaos, and the implosion of our Party and country, as both sides of the argument continued to fight it out for a further three years. The bitterness was not helped by a clearly biased Speaker, John Bercow, who sadly drove a coach and horses through the Chair’s integrity in an effort to help the Remain side. In December 2019, after Mrs May had left office, Boris Johnson won a stunning general election victory, with a majority of 78. During the campaign, he had repeatedly promised to deliver on Brexit, and, in doing so, toppled many Labour seats in the north. It was an extraordinary victory and nothing less than a full Brexit would do now. Despite the EU’s best efforts to derail Mr Johnson and his team, they held their nerve right to the last minute, coming away with a miracle deal that we can all live with. Having experienced first-hand the underbelly of politics, I remained sceptical until the European Research Group’s ‘Star Chamber’ reported back that the deal passed muster. It was not the Prime Minister I mistrusted, just politics in general, so I can now praise and thank Mr Johnson for pulling off this remarkable coup and once again putting us in control of our laws, borders and money. I also praise Sir William Cash, my friend, and in so many ways my mentor, who has fought the EU’s stranglehold for decades. I can only imagine what he’s feeling today. For me, personally, this is a triumph against all the odds, and I am confident that generations to come will look back at this momentous period in our island’s history and say we did the right thing. Finally, I do hope that Nigel Farage is recognised in some way for his role in Brexit. For, without the rise of UKIP, I am not sure we would have had the referendum. So, we end the year a sovereign country once again, free to make our own way in the world, a role we must now relish.  

 

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Richard Drax Member of Parliament for South Dorset

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