In the debate on the UK’s withdrawal from the EU I took the opportunity to explain why I am supporting Mrs May’s deal and to stand up for small and medium sized businesses whose voice is often not heard in these complex discussions.
“The people behind SMEs are real people with real lives who have worked a lifetime to build a business, often risking everything they have to build something for themselves and their family. I violently agree with those who see a bright future outside the European Union. Despite being a remainer, that is what I believe, too, in the longer term. In the short term, as we have been trading in a certain way for 46 years, it is unfair and irresponsible to trample businesses underfoot in a headlong rush towards the exit door. We simply cannot look at these businesses and these businesspeople as collateral damage. When we talk about ideological concepts, the more important concept to a businessperson is finding the money to pay the bank loan, to pay the suppliers and to pay the wages. This is not about “Project Fear.” I think a no-deal Brexit has real risks, particularly for those sectors that have time-dependent supply chains. Cash flow is the key element for any business; businesses do not have weeks and months of cash flow sitting in the bank, waiting for a rainy day.”
You can read the whole speech here:http://bit.ly/2Dbq0U6
Watch my speech in full on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/kevin.hollinrake/posts/10156992091496499
Here are my thoughts on the vote today: https://www.facebook.com/kevin.hollinrake/posts/10156992671096499