Wokingham MP John Redwood has written an open letter to constituents in the wake of the borough’s decision to remain in the European Union, vowing to continue to represent them and ensuring that their views are heard.
It comes after being warned by a Labour councillor that Wokingham’s verdict on Europe was a massive slap in the face to him and criticism for him on social media channels such as Twitter.
Bucking the national trend, the borough voted by a large margin to stay, in contrast to the MP’s long-held view that the country should leave Europe.
However, Mr Redwood argued that the European referendum was an opportunity for everyone to have their say and he could only speak as an individual.
He said: “The vote was an important exercise in direct democracy. It supplanted our normal representative democracy, where I as your MP weigh carefully all local opinions before making a judgement about how to vote in Parliament on your behalf.
“As an individual I could only speak and vote for one side. My long study of the UK’s involvement with the EU persuaded me that we can do more to promote our prosperity and freedom from outside the formal structures of the EU.”
Now that the vote is over, Mr Redwood argued, his normal role as MP resumes.
Appealing directly to people who voted REMAIN, he said: “I would like to reassure those who disagree with me on the referendum issue. As your MP I will continue to represent you all when you have issues and problems that need taking up, and I will ensure your views are heard.”
He added: “I well understand the worries some Remain voters have, as I heard them well put throughout the referendum campaign. I will work tirelessly to ensure as smooth a transition as possible.”
And he said that although we are leaving the Union, we will still be part of Europe.
“I want us to have many strong and good links with our neighbours, based on trade, mutual investment, tourism and travel, academic joint working, student exchanges, joint cultural events and all the other things that draw on our shared heritage and long history of collaborative working across the Channel,” he said.
Mr Redwood also vowed to vote against any Brexit budgets that would be regressive.
He wrote: “I take my election promises to vote for lower income taxes and no VAT increases seriously. I also strongly believe that as the UK and the other advanced economies are only growing slowly, we need to reduce taxes a bit more and spend more on national priorities like the NHS and housing, not less.
“I will continue to be a voice and to exercise my Parliamentary vote for prosperity not austerity.”
