Category: Politics

“Exercise doesn’t just chemically make you feel good — it’s great for socialising, raising self-esteem and coping with losing.”

These are the words of a young constituent of mine, Tane, who wrote to me after I met him at Sir Graham Balfour School in Stafford. It was his ideas that inspired my recent Backbench Business debate on Access to Sport: PE in Schools. 

This debate was not simply about a few more hours of PE, it was about addressing the fundamental role that physical activity plays in the development of our young people, and about how we can meet the challenges we face as a society, particularly in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Access to sport and physical education is about more than keeping children physically fit; it is about giving them skills, resilience and the confidence to navigate life’s challenges. It is about their mental health, their ability to form friendships and their capacity to overcome obstacles. It is about ensuring that no child is denied the chance to benefit from opportunities because of their background or gender, or any other barriers to opportunity that they face in life.

The timing of this debate is important, with the curriculum review presenting a crucial opportunity for reform. Currently, there’s no guarantee that every child receives quality physical education throughout their time in school.

The debate was heartening — and at times entertaining — as MPs shared stories from school and reflected on the importance of physical education. Whether they loved PE, or were last to be picked for the team, everyone was united by their shared passion for supporting young people’s wellbeing through sport. Some key themes included girls’ access to sport, SEND and inclusivity, the link between sport and attainment, and how much fun it is to play wheelchair basketball.

But the most welcome moment of the debate came from the minister herself, Catherine McKinnell, who shared the government’s upcoming plans for funding – which was followed by a formal announcement for School Games Organisers for 2025/26 later that day.

I am grateful for this announcement and the reassurance it brings to schools and sports organisations. It will allow them to continue delivering structured, inclusive sport programmes, which for many young people represent their only chance to be active in a safe and supportive environment.

I know just how seriously this government takes children’s access to sport. That said, this is not the end of the conversation. While a one-year extension is a step in the right direction, it does not offer the long-term security that schools need to plan and grow their provision. Too many of our schools have been operating under uncertainty for far too long, unable to commit to full-time staff or invest in new equipment because they simply don’t know what the next year holds.

What we need is a sustainable, multi-year funding framework for PE, School Sports Organisers, and the Pupil Premium. We must move away from short-term thinking and start treating sport and PE with the same seriousness we afford to english, maths, or science, because of the proven health benefits and social value of sport.

More broadly, this debate reaffirmed my belief in the importance of listening and giving voice to young people. Tane’s letter was not a one-off. Across the country, young people are calling out for spaces to be heard on issues that matter to them. Whether it’s sport, mental health, education, or climate change, their insights are often the most urgent and authentic.

As politicians, it’s our responsibility not only to represent but to listen. To enfranchise young voices not just at the ballot box but in every policy conversation that shapes their lives. Holding this debate, in some small way, was my attempt to centre those voices in parliament.

Because ultimately, when we empower young people to speak up and when we act on what they tell us, we build a better, fairer society. One where every child, no matter their postcode or ability, has access to the physical, emotional and social benefits that sport brings.

There is more work to do. But last Thursday’s debate showed the best of what parliament can be — cross-party collaboration, evidence-led discussion, and real-world impact. I am proud to have started this conversation, and even prouder to help carry it forward.

We must listen to young people like Tane, who have articulated so clearly the need for action, and we must respond with real change. As Tane said when he wrote to me:

“This seems like quite a simple solution to a lot of problems.”

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Source: Politics

Kemi Badenoch has appeared to condone the prospect of Conservative councillors forming coalitions with local counterparts in Reform UK. 

The Conservative leader has consistently ruled out any national deal with Reform, citing leader Nigel Farage’s pledge to “destroy” the Tories.

But Badenoch has now suggested that the picture is different for Conservatives at a local level. 

Asked if she would rule out any deals at national or local level between the Conservative Party and Reform, Badenoch pointed to her “categorical” position that she would not negotiate any kind of pact with the right-wing party as leader. 

“When someone says they want to destroy you, don’t invite them into your house and ask to do a deal”, she said.

But speaking to BBC Breakfast ahead of the local elections on 1 May, Badenoch added: “At local level, we end up with various coalitions. I’ve seen Conservatives go into coalition with Labour, with Liberal Democrats, with independents. You don’t get to have a rerun of an election at local level.

“So what I’m telling local leaders across the country is they have to do what is right for the people in their area, and they must stick to conservative principles, make sure that they’re not compromising on our values and on the things that we believe in – sound money, for example, not excessive government intervention.

“So local leaders are voted by the people in a particular community. They will have to make the choice about what is right for their councils.

“But at national level, no, I was not made leader of the Conservative Party to give it away to Reform.”

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Challenged on this point further, Badenoch continued: “I have said [we are] not doing a deal with Nigel Farage at national level.

“[But] at local level people need to run their councils, local leaders need to decide what to do to run their councils. At national level if we can’t form a government we get to rerun an election. We can’t keep doing that for every single council.”

The remarks risk playing into the Labour Party attack line that Farage’s party and the Conservatives are similar political forces. 

A recent social media advert shared by Labour said: “Reform and the Tories are closer than you think. No plans, no solutions, just more chaos.

“Labour is bringing change to Britain. Vote Labour on Thursday 1 May.”

Reform and the Tories are closer than you think. No plans, no solutions, just more chaos.

Labour is bringing change to Britain. Vote Labour on Thursday 1 May. pic.twitter.com/bRQp13HXBY

— The Labour Party (@UKLabour) April 5, 2025

Ellie Reeves, chair of the Labour Party, said that Badenoch’s comments confirm that a vote for Reform is an endorsement of “more of the Tory chaos”.

She said: “Now it’s crystal clear: if you vote Reform or Conservative, you’re opening the door to more of the Tory chaos that held our country back over the past 14 years.

“Kemi Badenoch and her Conservative Party left our NHS at breaking point and Nigel Farage wants to make patients pay for healthcare when they’re sick. Just imagine what they’d do together.

“Only this Labour Government has a Plan for Change that is turning our country around delivering security for working people and renewal for our country.”

Josh Self is Editor of Politics.co.uk, follow him on Bluesky here.

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Source: Politics

Imagine every seat at the O2 Arena in London filled by a child. Now, imagine an invading force stealing every single one of those children, deporting them from their homeland, sending them to re-education camps, forcing them to live with the very same invading soldiers, and even conscripting them to fight against the country they were born in. What would the outrage be in Britain to such an atrocity?

When I visited Kyiv, last month, to mark the third bloody anniversary of Putin’s illegal invasion, I didn’t have to imagine this. Speaking to Ukraine’s Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, I heard firsthand how this nightmare is very much a reality for Ukrainian mothers and fathers today.

Since Putin’s illegal invasion began on 24^th February 2022, at least 19,546 Ukrainian children have been forcibly taken from their families and their homeland, although the true figure is likely to be much higher because Russia frequently targets vulnerable children without anyone to speak for them. Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab, which recently had its funding cut by the United States’ so-called Department of Government Efficiency, have placed the number of stolen children closer to 35,000.

The commissioner told me how children as young as eight months old have been ripped from their homes by Russian forces, with Russia denying the very existence of this child and many thousands more. Many have been placed with citizens of Russia or placed in institutions. Some have been listed on child placement databases, naturalised into Russia, as if they were children born in Russia. Some are conscripted to the so-called All-Russian Young Army Military Patriotic Social Movement — the Kremlin’s attempt to mobilise young Russian children and provide them with basic military skills before later joining Putin’s meatgrinder in the occupied territories in Ukraine.

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for president Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights for allegedly establishing and sanctioning Russia’s program of coerced adoption and fostering these stolen children — a war crime as defined in international law. There is strong evidence to support their direct involvement in the allegations. A report in December 2024 by Yale Humanitarian Research Lab, which has been undertaking vital work to track these children and document the war crimes exposed between May and October 2022, Russian Aerospace Forces — under the direct control of President Putin’s office — transported multiple groups of Ukrainian children to Russia on Russian Federation- flagged military transport plane.

The United Kingdom rightly recognises these crimes and the importance of the International Criminal Court in prosecuting those responsible. Indeed, we are also playing our part in funding the Bring Back Kids Initiative through the Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine. The initiative launched by president Zelenskyy is uniting international agencies and organisations with the Ukrainian government to bring Russia’s crimes against humanity to an end by reuniting the stolen children of Ukraine with their families.

We must ensure that Russia provides a full register of all Ukrainian children currently in its custody, as mandated by the Geneva Conventions, and that Ukraine, with support from its allies and partners, secures a proper framework for their return, with housing, psychosocial, financial and other forms of support for their reintegration.

To achieve this, it is vital to ensure that there remains a focus on this critical issue, which has too often been forgotten in the national and international discourse of this conflict. That is why I have written to the foreign secretary, David Lammy, and defence secretary, John Healey, calling on them to recognise 17^th July as a National Day of Action for the Stolen Children of Ukraine. The National Day of Action will be a day of significance that will seek to raise awareness of the issue and set out what more the United Kingdom can do to ensure that justice is served, and the stolen children of Ukraine are not forgotten. Befittingly, the 17^th July is also ‘International Criminal Justice Day’ which aligns the national day of action with the need for accountability mechanisms within the international community.

There can be no true peace in Ukraine without the return of the children that Putin has stolen. Until those children are back with their families, no victory, no peace settlement, and no resolution can truly be considered complete. It is only when they are safely reunited that Ukraine can begin to heal.

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Source: Politics

We’ve all been there growing up — desperate to fit in with the cool kids. You laugh at their jokes, pretend to like things you don’t, and say whatever you think will get you a seat at the table. Most of us grow out of it. We learn that real respect comes from being genuine, not from selling out to impress someone else. But some people never quite shake it off. They take that same try-hard energy into adulthood, and before you know it, they’re flogging off the British farming industry for a few thousand tonnes of chlorinated chicken and a shot at being Donald Trump’s new best mate.

Well — that’s exactly what happened this week with Reform UK.

Nigel Farage now struts about like a country gent, wrapped head to toe in pristine Barbour and brand-new tweed. But ask him what our farming communities actually need, and you’ll get little more than a blank stare — unless there’s a camera involved. He’s cosplaying the countryside, not fighting for it. In truth, he’s doing everything he can to undermine British agriculture for the sake of a few awkward photo ops with America’s Commander-in-Chief.

And it’s not just him. Lee Anderson, Reform UK’s man in Ashfield, posted a photo of a salad last weekend and claimed “millions” already eat food with chlorine in it — so what’s the fuss? Jacob Rees-Mogg (still technically a Conservative, but let’s be honest, probably eyeing up a Reform rosette) chimed in too, saying it’s “pure protectionism” to ask shoppers to pay more for decent, UK-farmed chicken. Instead, he wants cheap American imports on the shelves. This is their grand plan for British agriculture? Throwing our high standards out the window for a quick trade deal and a nod from Washington?

With the global order wobbling in the midst of a US-led trade war, it’s tempting to look to those who shout loudest and claim to have all the answers. But here’s the truth: Reform UK haven’t got a clue.

In Norfolk, we’re not fooled by bluster. We prefer practical solutions over pompous pontification. And while Reform UK might sound like they’ve got ideas, once you look past the noise, there’s nothing there — no plan, no detail, just chaos in waiting.

Take farming support. Instead of working to replace the Common Agricultural Policy with grants that reward sustainable, climate-friendly land management, Reform UK want to scrap the lot. And replace it with what? They’ve no idea. It’s recklessness pretending to be reform.

Meanwhile, many of us are doing the real work to put profit back into farming. Just last month, I hosted South Norfolk’s first-ever Farmer’s Advice Surgery. Over 60 farmers squeezed into Bramerton village hall (yes, I underestimated the turnout — lesson learned) to talk about their hopes and fears. And guess how many said chlorinated chicken from the US was the answer? None. Not one.

I’ve spoken repeatedly about the biosecurity threats facing UK agriculture. What’s Reform UK’s position? Total silence. And what about the red tape stopping farmers from building the reservoirs we desperately need? We’re facing more droughts than ever, but like those parched fields, there isn’t a drop of evidence that Reform UK know what they’re doing.

So here’s my message: if you care about British farming — about animal welfare, food standards, and keeping our countryside alive — don’t fall for Reform UK’s dangerous delusion. They want all the power, none of the responsibility, and they’ll leave our farmers to deal with the mess.

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Source: Politics

The worldwide recognition of Somaliland cannot be ignored for even a second longer. Somalia is a failed state. The president is already proving a liability — failing to combat terrorism, lawlessness on the streets, and presiding over an appalling human rights record. Baseless and damaging claims regarding the legitimacy of critical infrastructure such as Berbera Port and Berbera Airport, represent nothing more than a land grab and a desperate attempt to laud power over a sovereign state in Putin-like fashion.

Therefore, the world, including the United Kingdom, must wake up and recognise Somaliland to not only reward a key ally, but also for the crucial benefit of Western intelligence including a say over one of the most strategic maritime checkpoints in the world.

China, Iran, and Russia are watching with eagle eyes. They are hoping that Western nations miss a crucial opportunity to fill a vacuum and allow their totalitarian regimes to form a destructive coalition with Somalia that will have devastating consequences for global trade.

We have already seen Chinese, Iranian, and Russian aggression in shipping lanes as they seek to exert their influence, disrupt supply chains, and damage the economy of democratic nations. Failing to recognise Somaliland would allow this to continue at pace. Somaliland’s Berbera Port presents a direct line of access into the Gulf of Aden and the Bel el-Mandeb Straight, a passage through which almost 12% of global trade flows. China has been flooding the region to form economic and military alliances, whilst Iran’s proxy war with Yemen has crashed economies and held goods at ransom.

Expansionist rhetoric and propaganda can only be combatted by recognising Somaliland — a stable, functional, and successful nation with a strong record of holding democratic elections. In stark contrast, Somalia is wracked with in-fighting and provides a haven for piracy with a president willing to use his own people as collateral in a never-ending campaign of self-promotion and regional dominance. As war ravages in Somalia, peace prevails in Somaliland. Therefore, it is simply astonishing that governments across the world are making a conscious decision to put Somaliland’s future in the hands of the despots that are running Somalia into the ground.

Figures from the United Nations lay bare the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Somalia. The recent poverty report shows that 52% of Somalis are living well below the poverty line, with the government failing to put sufficient measures in place to combat natural disasters and alleviate the severe deprivation across the country. Somalia was the lowest ranked African country in the Human Development Index — ranking 193 in the worldwide standing. The Index itself was created to demonstrate how a country supports the wellbeing of its citizens and thus Somalia’s positioning makes for sobering reading. The only conclusion that can be drawn is Somalia’s president does not care about his people, infrastructure, or development of human rights.

The litany of abuses that Somalia’s president has presided over is endless. His direction of travel is creating international turmoil and the only way to achieve stability as well as to prevent rogue nations dictating strategic territories, is to recognise Somaliland. Dithering will only worsen an already dire situation. The time to recognise Somaliland is now before it’s too late.

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Source: Politics

Adoption is often viewed as the happy ending in a child’s journey through trauma and instability, but for many families across the UK, it marks the beginning of a far more complex and challenging chapter. The issue of adoption breakdown — when adopted children leave the family home prematurely — is a crisis that continues to grow, largely hidden from public view and governmental action.

While adoption is intended to offer children a stable, loving home, the reality for many is far more difficult. Once the legal adoption order is signed, families often find themselves alone, navigating a complex web of trauma, behavioural challenges, and inadequate support.

Since being elected, I’ve spoken to parents in my constituency and beyond who share the same story: exhaustion, isolation and a sense of abandonment by the very system meant to support them.

In recent weeks, uncertainty over the future of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) for 2025/26 has only added to their stress. The adjournment debate I led last week on the issue of adoption breakdown could not have come at a more critical time.

What is undeniably clear is that post-adoption support in this country is falling short. Accessing services is an uphill battle — families often wait months for help, by which point situations have already escalated. The ASGSF, while a crucial lifeline, is stretched thin. Its limited scope, strict eligibility criteria, and precarious year-by-year renewal make it unreliable at best. For families already at breaking point, that instability can be the tipping point. That is why the fund must be made permanent and reliably accessible — before crisis hits.

The need for better support systems is overwhelming. Adopted children often come from deeply traumatic backgrounds, and the impact of that trauma is long-lasting. According to Adoption UK, 70% of adoptive families report significant emotional and mental health needs in their children. Conditions like foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, ADHD, PTSD, and attachment issues are common, and their manifestations can be severe. These realities underscore just how essential the ASGSF is – and how many families urgently depend on it.

This is all happening in the absence of up-to-date, reliable data. The last government study into adoption disruption was in 2014, estimating breakdown rates between 2% and 9%. Local authorities and regional adoption agencies record cases inconsistently, leading to serious discrepancies. For example, while national averages suggest 0.2 breakdowns per constituency annually, my local authority reported three in my constituency in one year. Without accurate, up-to-date data and a true understanding of the scale of the problem, targeted policies are impossible to implement, and families will only continue to fall through the cracks.

The personal stories that have been shared with me highlight the deeply human cost of a system that isn’t working. One mother told me how her son, after surviving horrific abuse, became violent and unmanageable. Instead of receiving the help they so desperately needed, the family was left to cope alone – until things reached a breaking point and the adoption collapsed. Another family spent ten years together before the pressures of adolescence, trauma, and inadequate school support pushed them past breaking point. Both children returned to care and both parents suffered breakdowns. Despite everything the two families gave, the system failed them.

Tragically, there’s a culture of blame rather than support – where adoptive parents are too often held accountable for challenges far beyond their control. Many have told me they were never fully informed about the extent of their child’s needs. When those needs later surface as complex or difficult behaviours, instead of receiving support, they are met with criticism and suspicion. Advocacy group PATCH has highlighted a troubling trend: local authorities shifting blame onto parents, rather than recognising the trauma driving a child’s struggles.

Adoptive families are not asking for miracles. They are asking for the system to work with them, not against them. They have taken on one of the most selfless and challenging roles in society — offering love and stability to children who have already suffered too much. In return, they deserve support they can rely on — not endless bureaucracy, judgement, or silence.

There is a long road ahead, but change must start now. The government must commit to making the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund permanent, introduce a national statutory post-adoption support policy, and urgently begin collecting accurate, up-to-date data on adoption breakdowns to guide future policy improvements.

Behind every statistic is a real child, and a real family doing their best to heal wounds that others inflicted. As a society, we owe them more than just gratitude — we owe them action. It is time for the government to listen, to learn and to act.

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Source: Politics

It’s the last day of term here in Westminster, with MPs set to head off for Easter recess this afternoon. The House will return on 22 April with campaigning ahead of the local elections in full swing.

Having chaired cabinet this morning, Keir Starmer is due for the usual pre-recess Q&A at the liaison committee — the supergroup of senior parliamentarians who take turns grilling the prime minister on their specialist subject. Each MP, themselves a chair of a select committee, will stick to three broad themes: growth, international affairs and defence, and welfare reforms and health.

This is Starmer’s second time taking part in the end-of-term ritual. His first liaison committee showing, towards the end of last year, saw him mostly fail to commit news. No 10 will be hoping for a similarly successful session today.

There is only one Conservative MP down to question the prime minister (Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chair of the public accounts committee), and two Liberal Democrats (Layla Moran, health; and Jamie Stone, petitions). Reform UK and the Greens’ slight profiles mean they are mostly shut out of parliament’s committee rooms.

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Expect Starmer to receive the hardest time from Sarah Champion, who chairs the international development select committee. She is a staunch opponent of the government’s foreign aid cut, and earlier this year accused the prime minister of personally setting a “dangerous course” for the UK.

Dame Meg Hillier, chair of the liaison committee, will open the session with some general questions. As the lead MP on the Treasury select committee, it would seem reasonable to expect a line of inquiry focused on tariffs. (The relevant commons press release also previews the question she will put to the “prime minister from members of the UK youth parliament”).

In the chamber today for Treasury questions, Hillier described the imposition of tariffs as “an event that is as significant as the financial crisis of 2008, or indeed, perhaps as Covid”.

She added: “In those instances, the state unleashed everything it could to try and resolve those issues”

Hillier went on to ask the chancellor, on duty at the despatch box, if she is “considering changing any of her rules in order to make sure that everything the state can throw at this problem is being done”.

It is a reasonably significant intervention. Hillier, as chair of the liaison and Treasury committees, is the definition of a “senior” MP. Before taking up her current posts, Hillier led the public accounts committee from 2015-2024. A minister during Gordon Brown’s tenure as PM, she also served in the shadow cabinet for a period under Ed Miliband.

But Reeves rejected Hillier’s bid to redraw the government line. Deploying familiar rhetoric, she commented: “I think it is incredibly important to retain cool heads at this moment.

“Tariffs have been imposed, and we are working closely with our friends and counterparts in the United States to reduce the impact of those.”

The chancellor added: “The fiscal rules are very important for giving the country the stability it needs. We saw when a previous government lost control of the public finances — it resulted in interest rates going through the roof, meaning higher costs for businesses and for working families.”

If in doubt: evoke Liz Truss.

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It was also significant, I thought, that Reeves appeared to reject the Liberal Democrats’ call for the government to advocate a “Buy British” campaign in response to Trump’s tariffs.

Questioned by Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper, Reeves was urged to begin such an initiative “as part of a broader national effort to encourage people to buy British here at home and elsewhere”.

The chancellor responded: “In terms of buying British, I think everyone will make their own decisions.

“What we don’t want to see is a trade war with Britain becoming inward-looking, because if every country in the world decided that they only wanted to buy things produced in their country, that’s not a good way forward.

“Our country has benefited hugely from access to global markets and we will continue to want to be able to do that because that is in our national interest for working people and for businesses in this country.”

The Lib Dems and Cooper have since hit back.

Responding via press release, the Lib Dem deputy leader commented: “The chancellor’s comments are an insult to businesses being pushed to the brink by Donald Trump’s trade war. This is completely out of touch with the British people who are rallying behind local businesses in their time of need.

“Instead of talking down our high-streets, the government needs to send a clear message to the White House that they stand squarely behind British businesses and against Trump’s damaging tariffs.

“We Liberal Democrats have been clear that we want to see the government going further and faster on working with our European and Commonwealth allies at the same time as launching this Buy British campaign as part of a national effort to boost British businesses at home and abroad.

“Buying British is a powerful way that people can get behind local businesses and show that as a country we won’t give in to Donald Trump’s bullying.”

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Lunchtime briefing

‘No state should be beyond criticism’: Labour MPs defiant after being denied entry to Israel

Lunchtime soundbite

‘We’ve got your back.’

—  Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivers a statement to MPs before the start of commons business, updating the House on the government response to US tariffs.

The response to “global change” must be to “act decisively” and “take the right decisions that are in our national interest, protecting working people”, Reeves says.

Now try this…

‘Labour MP mood hardens on Israel’
Via PoliticsHome.

‘Tories lose one of their biggest donors in major blow to Kemi Badenoch’
The Guardian reports.

‘Should the Tories distance themselves further from Trump?’
ConservativeHome’s Tali Fraser writes.

On this day in 2024:

Gordon Brown accuses Sunak of undermining the ‘whole system of international law’

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Source: Politics

Five years ago, in my final speech in the European parliament as leader of the Liberal Democrat group of MEPs, I described Brexit as a “backward step” and a “vanity project that has no basis in reality”.

That’s a view that’s become more common in recent years. In fact, last month, my fellow MPs and I debated an e-petition calling for the UK to rejoin the European Union after it received well over 100,000 signatures.

Leaving the EU was a significant moment. We left a union of nations that was established to promote peace on our continent, that had seen the dismantling of barriers between nations, and that enabled trade and cultural ties to flourish.

Nobody wants to revisit the division and toxicity of the Brexit debate, and I understand the hesitation of the government to even go there. But we must not forget that the referendum debate was fuelled by misinformation and outright lies about what leaving the EU would mean for our country.

Five years on, though, no one is in any doubt. Just last month, when I visited the European parliament with many colleagues, I heard the minister for the Cabinet Office refer to research by Aston University finding that exports to the EU have fallen by 27% since Brexit.

That figure, unfortunately, will be of no surprise to businesses in my constituency of South Devon. One shellfish exporter recently told me that they must have 17 pieces of paper signed by a vet for every consignment of mussels they export to the EU, making it impossible to trade efficiently with their biggest customer.

Similarly, a small household product retailer has had to end all trade with the EU because of new product safety regulations; a delicatessen is finding it increasingly difficult to import small quantities of wines; and a precision engineering company has found its exports tangled in red tape.

On and on it goes. In every sector, you hear the same story.

But Brexit’s impact is not limited to trade. It’s a tragedy that our children and grandchildren will not have the chances we had to go to Europe, to develop skills, and bring all that experience back to the UK.

It is high time the government agreed a youth mobility scheme with the EU. Last month, I welcomed the EU-UK parliamentary partnership assembly’s agreement that said the government understood the need to establish a youth opportunity schemes, including apprenticeships.

We all understand the need; let us hope that the government will go further than that and address it.

I can’t deny, though, I have my doubts. Labour say they want a reset in relations with the EU, but no one I spoke to on the EU side in Brussels last month was clear what that really means.

Fixing our broken relationship with Europe is the most obvious way to boost our economy and provide much-needed funding to fix our public services. And in the wake of US tariffs, it is more important than ever that we shore up trade with our nearest neighbours.

The single biggest thing we can do to turbocharge our economy in the medium and long term is form a customs union with the EU, tearing down the trade barriers and shredding the red tape that is holding so many businesses back.

The Liberal Democrats have always believed we are stronger as part of Europe. It is a long road back, and, thanks to the Conservatives, it will take a long time to rebuild trust, but we owe it to future generations to make it happen.

Sadly, it is probably too early to campaign to rejoin the EU right now — it is not even an option on the table — but we must take concrete steps towards rectifying the damage wreaked by the Conservatives’ botched Brexit deal.

The time for repeating meaningless warm words is over; it’s time to put the work in to rebuild our shattered relationship with Europe.

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Source: Politics