Whilst the Prime Minister has my full support in his efforts to deliver Brexit on 31st October 2019, the governance of this country must always be conducted in a lawful manner. The Supreme Court has judged that was not the case with the advice offered to the Queen prior to prorogation, and I certainly do not dismay at living in a country where the rule of law is applied to everyone, regardless of their position. That is, indeed, the very foundation of our democracy.
However, the Supreme Court’s decision does not affect the Brexit timetable, and the current date of exit, in statute, remains the 31st October 2019. Only Parliament can change exit day and, for my part, I cannot support another delay. That is why I will never vote for one should the necessary legislation come before the House, nor will I vote to take no deal off the table. And yes, it is right that the Prime Minister is now, in certain circumstances, legally bound to request an extension from the European Union, but I am not required to support those efforts. So I will vote, as I have always done, to deliver Brexit on 31st October 2019, and then we can move on to other arguably more important issues.
I know that there continues to be a strong local mandate for Brexit, as soon as possible, amongst those that I represent, and the data from my Brexit survey, to which thousands of residents have responded, supports that conclusion. If you have not yet contributed, you can do so here: www.gileswatling.co.uk/brexit-survey