Local Euro MP tells the European Commission to calm down and take time to get Brexit right

“Calm down Mr Juncker” was the warning of local Conservative MEP Vicky Ford to the President of the European Commission during his annual State of the Union Speech today.

In his hour long speech Juncker mentioned the murder of Arek Jozwik in Harlow, Essex. Mrs Ford, whose Euro constituency includes Essex said “Hate crime is despicable, six people have been arrested for this murder but Mr Juncker should also remember that hundreds and hundreds of local people stand united to condemn this crime. The vast majority of British people want peaceful and calm negotiations for their future relationship with Europe and not hate”.

Speaking on Brexit Mr Juncker told MEPs that there would be no access to Europe’s single market for the UK unless there is also free movement of goods and people. Mrs Ford who chairs the Parliament’s committee for the internal market believes that this threat is over-simplistic. She pointed to the deep trade links between the UK and other European countries and said “If we are forced to rip the UK out of the single market with no long term plan then economies across all of Europe will suffer. Negotiators on both sides of the English Channel need to take time to get this right.”