This week, in between questioning the Brexit Secretary in the House of Commons and meeting Crawley residents, I cast my ballot in the Conservative Party Leader, and therefore as Prime Minister, vote of no confidence.
I respect the result of Theresa May winning this leadership vote. The Prime Minister must now fully respect the vote of people in Crawley and across our country – by the largest number in British polling history – to deliver Brexit, without ceding further powers to the EU.
I also met the Transport Secretary to raise the issue of aviation after we leave the EU; a salient issue for our town considering the importance of Gatwick Airport. Third country aviation agreements with all nations including the US, Canada, Iceland and Switzerland have now been concluded.
In the event of a no deal Brexit, other EU member states are prepared to put in place rapid stand-by bilateral arrangements. Airlines continue to sell tickets for next summer, with some indeed increasing their European routes from the UK.
In recent days I have been visiting Crawley schools to congratulate the winners of my 2018 Christmas card competition. Every primary school in our town was invited to take part, and I would like to thank all teachers and parents who helped their children participate.
I am grateful to all children that took the time to send me their card design. It was extremely difficult to narrow down all the entries to a winner and runners-up. Every entry really captured the festive season spirit; from drawings of Father Christmas and his sleigh, to decorated trees and snowmen.
With this in mind, I would like to wish everyone in Crawley a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Henry Smith MP