BREXIT: MPs clash over impact of leaving EU on York

As Prime Minister Theresa May prepared to trigger Article 50 today, a huge gulf remained yesterday between York Outer Conservative MP Julian Sturdy and York Central Labour MP Rachael Maskell.

Mr Sturdy said he firmly believed leaving the EU could be good for York.

He said it would open up new markets for city businesses in regions such as Asia and South America, free farms from one-size-fits-all EU rules made for 28 different countries and leave the tourism industry well-placed to prosper, as York looked beyond Europe to the wider world.

But Ms Maskell said Brexit was already causing negative consequences for the city that she feared would worsen.

She said businesses that traded with the EU had expressed serious concerns to her about their future, local residents were ‘feeling the pinch of Brexit’ through the fall in the value of the pound and York’s universities had already faced a fall in students applying to study in York from the EU.

Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesperson for Yorkshire and Humber, Kamran Hussain said the ‘hardest and most divisive form of Brexit’ had been chosen by Mrs May, and this was a ‘betrayal of the thousands of businesses in Yorkshire and Humber who rely on trade with Europe.’

Business owners also had differing views. Mark Richardson, owner of Carlton House Bed and Breakfast in The Mount, said: “I can’t see why being in the EU or being out of it will make a difference at all.

“We get a lot of Europeans that stay with us and being out of the EU isn’t going to suddenly stop them.

“People from Britain aren’t going to stop going on holiday to Spain and other places just because we aren’t in the EU anymore, so I can’t imagine it will be any different the other way round for people who like to visit York and other places like London.”

Keith Wood, partner at Ascot House, a guest house in Heworth, said he was all in favour of ‘fewer stupid regulations, which will help everybody.

He said he had voted to leave and saw no reason to change his mind, but the full impact would be a ‘suck it and see thing.’

Frank Wood, who owns R A Braithwaite jewellers in Goodramgate and also chairs York Retail Forum, said it was very difficult to say if it would directly affect his business.

“We export so we send abroad to countries like Italy, America and Australia,” he said. “We don’t deduct VAT for European exports but we do for other countries.

“A lot will depend on what the tariffs are and the charges that are put on by individual countries. That’s all up for grabs and no-one really knows what is going to happen there.”

Campaigners unfurl protest banner

A NEW campaign group called York for Europe was planning to display a protest banner at Clifford’s Tower and several other city locations today.
Spokesperson Emilie Knight said the banner was intended to demonstrate the ‘strong and continuing resistance to Brexit, expressed by many residents in the city of York.’
She said: “We want to communicate to people that we will continue to fight the ‘hard’ Brexit that our Government has imposed upon the country, and that we will campaign to maintain the best possible relations with the European Union.”
She said the group, which had more than 350 members, believed that leaving the EU would be bad for York and the UK.
“The group is non-party political and welcomes members and supporters of all political parties and those who have no party-political allegiance or view, providing they support the founding beliefs and objectives of the group.
“The future of this city is dependent on the next generation building businesses, creating jobs and energising the community. At York for Europe, we believe that the very hard Brexit that is being proposed will push our brightest and most able entrepreneurs of the future to leave the UK and follow their destiny elsewhere.
“York also has a high proportion of EU nationals living and working in the city. Right now many of them feel very uncertain about their future.”

Rebecca Frazer asked residents whether they thought Brexit would be good or bad for York.

Nathan King, 32, of Clifton Moor: “York does pretty well for tourism so I don’t think it will really affect us. Unless we start needing visas for travel between the UK and Europe, it’s not going to make much of a difference in terms of tourism.”
Carys Osbourne, 21, of Heworth: “I don’t think it will affect York individually that much, because people are still going to come here and visit, regardless of whether we’re in the EU or not.”
Diane Simpson, 71, of Acomb: “I don’t think anyone knows what will happen to local businesses and whether overall it will be bad or good for us. A lot of people that voted to leave were business owners who didn’t like being told what to do by the EU “
Jordan Russell, 25, of Heslington: “I can’t see it making much difference to local businesses, though I guess for big companies based here, like Nestlé, it’s hard to say what will happen to them, which is quite scary because they provide a lot of jobs for people in York.”
Lynn Hillier, 65, of the city centre: “I don’t think Brexit will be good for local businesses. The main reason people voted to leave the EU was because of immigration, but York thrives on tourism.”