Dear John,

Where are we now?

As Parliament goes on Summer Recess, let's take stock of where we find ourselves

In my job it's easy to get caught up in what's happening right now, today, this second. So I was really glad this week to have the opportunity to spend time thinking about the wider context.

I thought you might be interested too. You can read my new blog in full here.

Our perspectives are shaped by what we experience around us - the news, conversations, received wisdom. We often don't see ourselves from the outside. But this week I got to hear from David McAllister MEP, a German politician who holds both German and British citizenship.

As UK-EU negotiations seem to have stalled (again), we all need to keep the timetable in mind. The deal needs to be agreed by October to allow time for all the process to happen to ratify it. And it's the EU Parliament that gets final say. There really isn't much time.

The EU Parliament has conditions, though. These conditions include, inevitably, ‘comprehensive, binding and enforceable’ level playing field’ (LPF) provisions, a ‘complete, sustainable and balanced’ agreement on fisheries, and a ‘robust, single and coherent’ governance system, with the European Court of Justice (ECJ) as sole interpreter of EU law provisions.

It's clear the UK Government has a different direction in mind. Particularly on the ECJ. All the while, the EU says the blueprint for agreement is the Political Declaration in the Withdrawal Agreement that Boris Johnson got through Parliament at the end of last year.

Take a few minutes to read my new blog. Have a moment or two to reflect on where we are. Then together we can take the next steps to make sure Britain gets the deal we need.

Best wishes,

Flora Hutchings
Head of External Affairs, Best for Britain

PS. Once you've read the blog here, send your MP a message using our easy online tool.