MP fears for jobs after Brexit vote

Burnley MP Julie Cooper has said she is shocked at the country's decision to leave the European Union.
MP for Burnley Julie Cooper (s)MP for Burnley Julie Cooper (s)
MP for Burnley Julie Cooper (s)

Burnley was one of the areas that voted heavily in favour of leaving with 66.6% (28,854) choosing to opt out.

Mrs Cooper, who did say that Prime Minister David Cameron resigning was not “a bad thing I suppose”, said she respected the decision and it was now time to move forward.

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“I’m in shock. It didn’t go the way I wanted it to go but I respect the decision.

“Burnley voted heavily to leave and of course I respect that. The referendum has been and gone. We move on now and I will continue to do what I have been doing since I was voted MP, helping the people of this town.”

Turnout for the referendum was 67.3% (43,350), up almost 6% on last year’s general election. It was the town’s biggest turnout since 1992 when 74.2% of the electorate voted Peter Pike back in as the Burnley MP.

Mrs Cooper said while did respect what two-thirds of her constituency had voted for, she did now fear for jobs locally as well the future of the NHS.

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“The two things which people feel most strongly about, especially around here, are jobs and the NHS. The economy has already taken a hit this morning and it will be interesting to see how it copes moving forward.

“We have got a lot of EU employers in Burnley. 7,000 jobs are directly related to being in the EU. Would you think these are more safe now or less safe? I wanted to keep bringing these jobs into the Burnley. That is obviously going to be more difficult now.

“The NHS is desperate for money. I have been having meetings all week with NHS chiefs and they need help. I am looking forward to seeing if promises made by Brexiters for more money for the NHS now come to fruition.

“There has been a lot of nonsense on both sides but I have certainly never been one for scaremongering. I actually do think this will leave the NHS worse off though. I really do worry for its future.

“I really hope I got it wrong. Time will tell.”