On Wednesday evening Parliament voted on the European Union Withdrawal Bill, reports Ipswich MP, Sandy Martin.
Conservative MPs, and Northern Ireland’s DUP MPs, voted for the Bill, and the other MPs voted against. I voted with Labour MPs against this Bill because it is a complete mess and fails to safeguard jobs and the environment.
During the afternoon we put forward amendments to protect your rights – such as the right to equal treatment at work, to have safe working conditions, to have maternity and paternity pay, to prevent the sale of unsafe or unhealthy goods, and to prevent our country from being ruined by pollution. All of these things have protection through the European Union and we need to make sure that when we leave the EU we do not lose these rights. The government voted down our amendments.
They also voted down our amendments to ensure that Parliament’s vote on the final deal is truly meaningful, and to prevent the government using Brexit to abolish important protections without the say-so of Parliament. We were trying to take back control – not to give it to Theresa May and her ministers to do with as they wish, but to give it to the British People through the mechanism of the democratically elected Parliament.
And they voted down our amendment to remain in the Single Market and the Customs Union during the 2-year transition, so it is very possible that in April 2019 we will have no workable trading agreement with the EU, and agriculture, manufacturing and financial services will all see massive losses in business and jobs.
Brexit is going ahead. But I would be failing in my duty if I do not do everything in my power to try to protect the jobs, rights and environment of Ipswich residents and I will continue to do that.
If there is a rise in unemployment or a loss of earnings as a result of Brexit, the responsibility will lie squarely with the Conservative government that has refused to listen to what the Labour Party has been saying.
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