From jobs to boats, aerospace to the weekly shop, why Europe matters | Burnley MP column

Brexit. There, I’ve said it. I know plenty of you are fed up of hearing about it, and honestly, I don’t blame you.  

But nearly ten years on, I think it’s worth talking about what comes next. Particularly when it comes to jobs, businesses and the cost of living here in Burnley, Padiham and Brierfield. 

On 20 November, the Prime Minister will meet European leaders in Brussels for the second UK-EU summit. It follows a meeting in London last year, where both sides agreed to start building a better working relationship. 

 Our towns voted Leave in 2016. I respect that result, and I respect everyone who took part, whichever way they voted. I know feelings still run deep on both sides. What matters to me is making sure the relationship we have with Europe now works for local people. 

We’ve got some brilliant businesses across our towns. From our world-class aerospace industry to the smaller manufacturers and family-run firms that have been the backbone of Burnley for generations, making things is in our DNA. 

When I speak to businesses, one thing I hear time and again is that they want to get on with the job. They want to make things, sell things, take on staff and grow. They don't want to spend hours dealing with unnecessary forms, extra costs and delays. 

That's why the government is working towards agreements that will make trading with Europe easier. 

One of those is a new food and farming agreement, which would reduce the checks and paperwork involved in moving food and agricultural products between Britain and the EU. 

You might be wondering what that has to do with you if you're not a farmer or running an import business. The simple answer is the weekly shop. 

When it costs businesses more to bring food into the country, those extra costs can end up being passed on to customers. And when families are already watching every penny, anything we can do to ease that pressure is worth pursuing. 

I’m not going to pretend a trade agreement will suddenly knock a tenner off your shopping bill. It won't. But making trade easier and cheaper is one of the ways we can help tackle costs in the longer term. 

The agreement is still being negotiated, with the government hoping to have it in place by the middle of 2027.  

There’s more to these talks than trade, too. With everything happening around the world, from the war in Ukraine to the threats we face from organised crime and illegal migration, it makes sense to work closely with our European neighbours on keeping people safe. 

We might have left the EU, but we haven't moved geographically. France is still just across the Channel, and the countries we trade with, travel to and work alongside are still our neighbours. 

What I really want to see from this summit is a better relationship with them. Not another round of political point-scoring or rehashing the arguments of 2016, but being practical and making sensible agreements that make a difference to people's lives. 

Whether you voted Leave or Remain, I think most of us can agree on a few things. We want good jobs in our towns, successful local businesses, lower bills and a country that's safe and secure. 

That's what I'll be looking for as these talks move forward. 

If you run a local business that trades with Europe, I'd genuinely like to hear about your experiences, good or bad. The more I hear from the people actually dealing with these issues, the better I can make the case for Burnley in Westminster. 

As always, you can get in touch by email, come to my next surgery, or pop into my office on Grimshaw Street to speak to a caseworker between 10am and 2pm, Monday to Thursday.