Andrew has provided a further update on Brexit on his Facebook page. You can read his update below, or directly on his page here: https://www.facebook.com/andrewpercyofficial/
I apologise for this thread becoming so Brexit orientated but it is the issue people most contact me on and I think residents need to know clearly how I voted.
I am frankly sick to the back teeth of hearing MPs demand other MPs compromise but then spend their time voting against basically any other proposal except their own preferred option. In effect it's a case of 'compromise but only on my terms'.
I have my own vision of Brexit but I do feel I have genuinely tried to vote in a way to get this delivered. As a Leave voter myself, I have my own vision of what Brexit should look like. I accept however that, when offered the chance to elect a Parliament with MPs committed to Brexit, voters chose (including many Leave voters in the North) to re-elect a Parliament full of anti-Brexit MPs and anti-No Deal MPs.
As such I have tried to compromise and vote in a way that recognises that this Parliament is just not going to allow certain things to happen. I have now voted as follows.
1. For the Prime Ministers deal 3 times
2. In support of a No Deal Brexit 2 times (not my preferred option but I've support it on each attempt)
3. For a Common Market style arrangement with the EU on two occasions. (Not my preferred exit and only on the basis of it containing no customs union and an ability to suspend free movement provisions)
In all of those votes I have been on the losing side. The middle way of those three options remains the Prime Ministers deal which is why I get so annoyed when people say the PM isn't listening or compromising. The fact Leavers attack the PMs deal as not being hard enough Brexit and Remainers attack it for not keeping us close to the EU is probably a good sign it is a sensible compromise.
I have no idea frankly what to do now to deliver Brexit. There are a determined group of MPs who never wanted Brexit, but stood on a manifesto to deliver Brexit, who have never had any intention of voting to deliver it. They are now lined up behind a second referendum (which I have now voted against 3 times) as they feel that is the best way of killing Brexit.
Then we have a small band of hard core Brexiteers who risk throwing it all away because of some blind faith in a hard Brexit that Parliament will never allow - they are deluding themselves!
For me, I will keep opposing a second referendum with every ounce of my being, continue to vote for every Brexit option which I think is deliverable, but I am not sure there is any way out of this without a general election now.
Andrew