CENTRAL DEVON MP Mel Stride appeared on the BBC South West Politics Show on Sunday 6th December, along with Plymouth Sutton and Devonport MP Luke Pollard and the Leader of Somerset West and Taunton Council Federica Smith-Roberts. The trio discussed a number of issues facing the South West, including post-Brexit farming support, the Government’s tiered approach to Covid-19 restrictions and whether or not a Brexit deal would be secured in the final stages of the negotiations.
Speaking on the programme, Mel said:
“It will go to the wire but I think that there is sufficient interest on both sides of this negotiation for it to be successful and that we will end up with a deal in the next few days. That’s my expectation, but it’s far from certain.”
The MP expressed concern though that UK ports are not fully prepared for the transition period to end on 31st December and urged businesses that trade with the EU to make sure they are ready as well. A simple guide can be found at www.gov.uk/transition.
Regarding farming, Mel said he supported the shift away from the EU model of providing subsidies on the basis of the amount of farmable land a farmer owns, which favours the largest landowners. Instead, subsidies will consider the important role farmers play in terms of food production and how they help the environment, for example by maintaining wildlife habitats and improving water quality.
The programme is still available at https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000q79d/politics-south-west-06122020.
