HARLOW MP Robert Halfon has issued a statement that explains why he will be voting against PM Theresa May’s Brexit deal.

Mr Halfon said: :As you will know, the 585 page Draft Brexit Agreement plus the Political Declaration was published last Thursday and it has taken me some time to go through it. I have also taken the time to read a lot of commentary on both sides of the debate.

Everything I have done since the referendum has been to fulfil my pledge to ensure that we leave the European Union. I voted for the referendum and I voted for Article 50 (which means that we will leave on 29 March). I want to make sure that the final deal ensures we leave the EU without costing the nation too much or damaging our economy. I am absolutely clear that we have to leave on 29 March and we have to follow the will of Harlow residents and the country.
As it currently stands, I will be voting against the deal for a number of reasons.

Firstly, I don’t believe we are getting value for money out of the £39 billion divorce bill of taxpayers’ money. I’m also concerned this could increase further if Britain stays in the transition period longer than expected.

Secondly, even after the transition, the UK may end up in an open-ended customs arrangement (a de facto customs union, otherwise known as the backstop). The ruling of an ‘independent committee’ is required to decide whether we are allowed to leave. Britain is not able to make the decision by itself.

Thirdly, the deal has the potential to undermine the Union because of the different arrangements for Northern Ireland. I am concerned that, potentially, the Scottish Nationalists, who want to remain in the EU, could start demanding different arrangements for Scotland too.
On all of these issues, the key thing for me is value for money. I’m not convinced that the EU should be getting billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money without us being clear what positive benefit we get in return.

I would just like to note that there are some positives to take from the agreement. It does appear that there is an end to freedom of movement, meaning we take back control over our borders. Furthermore, the Prime Minister presented a new Political Declaration yesterday which seems to acknowledge some of the above concerns. However, unless I believe this agreement substantially changes to solve the problems I have set out above, I plan to vote against it.
Having said all of the above, I will not be putting in a vote of no confidence against the Prime Minister. I don’t believe it is a good idea to depose a Prime Minister in the midst of an incredibly difficult negotiation at possibly the most crucial time for our country since the end of the Second World War.

Despite my reservations about the deal, I recognise that without having a parliamentary majority, the Prime Minister has an incredibly difficult task on her hands. I think that Theresa May should use this time to listen to the different views about the agreement, in order to ensure that the final agreement provides the best outcome for Britain.

Finally, I’d just like to make it clear that in no circumstances will I vote for a second referendum. We’ve had a People’s Vote already, in which 68% of Harlow residents voted to leave and 17,410,742 people across the UK voted Leave. It was one of the biggest exercises in our democratic history, with a 72.2% voter turnout. We made a decision and it is absolutely clear that we must get on and ensure that Brexit means Brexit. A second vote would only bring further division and waste time.