In Makerfield, my constituency, two-thirds of people voted to leave the EU.
I understood why back then – and still do now. Westminster and Brussels combined weren’t delivering for them. Industrial decline had stripped away good jobs. Cuts were hitting harder than elsewhere. People felt ignored by the powers-that-be.
The referendum gave voters a chance to send a message and demand change. Ten years on, it is clear that the change promised by the promoters of Brexit has not materialised. Far from taking back control, we are in a weaker position on immigration. The small boats crisis has reached our shores. Household bills and business costs have been soaring.
The truth is Britain ended up with a much harder Brexit than the one promised at the referendum. Rather than back Theresa May’s deal, Boris Johnson burnt our bridges. His Tory Brexit deal has done more harm than good.
I am clear: the status quo is not good enough for Britain. It is my job to look honestly at the evidence and act in Britain’s national interest. I will not shirk that responsibility.
The truth is we can’t get Britain back to where we all want it to be without sorting out our relationship with our closest neighbours. The red lines set out in Labour’s manifesto will remain.
This means no return to the Customs Union, Single Market or freedom of movement in this Parliament. However, the UK-EU Summit this week is not about these issues. It is about getting closer to Europe again and working constructively to improve a bad Brexit deal.
Any deal I seek to agree in Brussels must first pass what I call the Makerfield test: will it make life better for people in the parts of Britain that have felt forgotten?
On Friday, there is a chance of reaching a deal that helps ease the cost-of-living crisis. By making it easier to move food between Britain and the EU, we can cut costs for businesses and help bring down the price of food.
Don’t just take my word for it – listen to what the M&S food boss believes the proposed deal can achieve: “fresher food and fuller shelves for our customers, lifting the pressure on the price of the weekly shop.”
It will also spare our steel, car and aluminium industries extra taxes, protecting jobs and the communities that depend on them. It will open the door to greater collaboration with our EU partners on tackling illegal immigration and small boat crossings, and further talks on lower electricity prices.
Does this pass the Makerfield test? Absolutely. It is also consistent with what I said at the by-election. By delivering something much closer to what was promised at the time, it respects the 2016 vote.
The Tories have already said they will scrap any deal we secure. This is proof they haven’t changed under Kemi Badenoch. How can they turn their backs on lower food prices when families are struggling so much?
I will never do that. I will provide the leadership on this issue that they never can.
I am drawing a line under a decade of drift and division after Brexit. I am putting Britain back on a positive path and working to get our economy growing. This Friday I can take the biggest step yet down that path – and I am determined to take it.