Gavin Newlands MP raises concerns about the true cost of Brexit
Gavin Newlands, the MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North, has voiced his criticism that the UK government has fundamentally failed in reassuring key sectors and businesses over their future, as the Treasury announces limited measures to plug the gap in EU funding in the wake of Brexit.
The Chancellor’s insubstantial promises on protecting only certain funding streams until 2020 have been challenged as “offering next to no comfort” for farmers, fishermen and other valued industries over the long term.
Furthermore, the Brexit campaign’s claims on the £350 million the UK would claw back from the EU each week to spend on the NHS have been exposed for the lies they were —with the recent Treasury announcement falling billions short of the required amount to protect even existing funding.
Gavin Newlands has also written to the local businesses across Renfrewshire following the vote to leave the EU, reassuring them that the Scottish Government is working to ensure that no crucial funding is lost and that Scotland’s place in the EU continues.
Commenting, Gavin Newlands MP said: “This ‘guarantee’ from the Chancellor gives very little reassurance to people whose livelihoods depend on funding from the EU.
“With Westminster reserving the right to pull the plug on continuing financial support in just a few years’ time, the Tories are simply adding to the uncertainty, rather than reassuring people and industries affected by the vote to leave.
“We’re finally seeing the true cost of Brexit revealed and the so-called £350 million bonus for healthcare has once and for all been exposed as bogus. When Scotland voted so overwhelmingly to remain in the EU, these measly measures from the Chancellor completely fail to represent anything like a reasonable offer.
“That’s why it is absolutely imperative that Scotland must explore all options to protect our continuing EU membership — and the many benefits that come with it.”
