Hartlepool MP Mike Hill explains why he voted to prevent no-deal Brexit

On Wednesday, September 4, MPs backed a bill aimed at blocking a no-deal Brexit on October 31 by voting 327 for versus 299 against.

Labour’s Mr Hill says leaving without a deal risks jobs and even people’s health.

He says he is abiding by his pledges when he was elected in 2017 to protect local jobs and services, while also respecting the town’s decision to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum.

Mr Hill said: “I voted in favour of a deal that would provide us with a way of leaving the EU on October 31 with guaranteed protections of workers’ rights at its heart.

“I promised I would do this in my election and this is what I have tried to do. We know the EU would accept this as they’ve already told us they will.

“Boris Johnson tried to deny this deal to us because he wants to gamble with our future with a reckless no deal scenario.

“No deal risks our future, it risks our jobs and as NHS doctors have told us, it risks the lives of anyone dependent on medication we import.

“We need to leave with a deal, as was promised by both major parties in 2017 and even by Nigel Farage in the referendum campaign of 2016.”

Earlier this week, Mr Hill was one of the 328 supporters of a motion giving MPs control of Parliamentary business from the Government, also in an attempt to halt the prospect of a no deal Brexit.

He added: “Leave or remain we are all Hartlepool. We all want outstanding schools, we all want safe streets, we all want a local economy that provides every resident with the opportunity to fulfil their potential and we all want an NHS that is properly funded and staffed.

“We must not let the Tory ‘no deal’ extremists divide us - finding compromise and common ground is the duty of decent people and something I know Hartlepool people respect. After three years it is time for MPs to vote for something instead of continuously against things.

“So I have voted for a Brexit that respects the will of my constituents but also protects Hartlepool jobs, Hartlepool services and Hartlepool residents.

“That is my duty as your MP. This week we have taken back control of our sovereignty and gave Parliament its authority back.”