As you can imagine, I have consistently received hundreds of emails and letters every week urging me to adopt one Brexit position or another.
I have been asked to support the Prime Minister’s deal, to ditch the deal, to support a hard Brexit, to support a second referendum, to support no deal – I fear I cannot please everyone.
In light of that, I think it would be useful to outline how I see my role as an MP. I believe that it is my duty to familiarise myself with the facts, to attend the meetings on your behalf, to consult, to do the due diligence, and to use my judgement to decide what would be in the best interests of my constituents and our country.
Turning specifically to the matter of a second referendum, fourteen amendments were tabled in Parliament this week, each offering an alternative course forward. No amendment explicitly required Parliament to hold a second referendum on the final deal.
Those Members of Parliament that do support a second referendum refused to table an amendment offering a second public vote, precisely because it was assured of defeat. While I entirely understand the frustration of some with Brexit, I do not believe that there is a political appetite for a second referendum.
The amendment tabled by Sir Graham Brady MP did receive a majority. This vote gave the Prime Minister a Parliamentary majority and subsequent mandate to negotiate an amendment to the Withdrawal Agreement, to remedy the concerns over the Backstop.
The Prime Minister will return to update Parliament by February 13th at the latest on what progress she makes with EU negotiators in this regard. Should she be successful in suitably amending the backstop, I would be happy to support the deal as a compromise.
I understand the strength of feeling of many on the matter of a second referendum. While much is made of the 17.4 million voters that voted Leave, I have not forgotten the 16.1 million voters that voted Remain. I will continue to try to find the best compromise for Colchester as events unfold.
I am therefore sorry to disappoint those that want a second referendum, but just as I do not think there is widespread appetite for a ‘no deal’ Brexit at one end of the spectrum, similarly I do not think there is widespread appetite for a second referendum either. I expect that the answer to Brexit will be a compromise, and hope that this takes the form of an amended Withdrawal Agreement, which is the only course which currently receives the support of Parliament.