Sussex Lib Dem MPs back calls for closer ties to EU as local families  continue to pay the price for Brexit

Liberal Democrat MPs for Mid Sussex, Lewes, Chichester, Eastbourne and Horsham backed calls for closer ties to the EU to support Sussex families and businesses struggling with the cost-of-living crisis caused by Brexit and Trump’s war on Iran. 

The Liberal Democrats’ amendment to the King's Speech called on the Government to slash red tape for businesses, cut import costs, and help bring down the prices of everyday goods, from food on supermarket shelves to household energy bills, for hard-pressed families in Sussex. 

The party urged Labour MPs and the government to fix the damage left behind by the architects of the botched Brexit deal; Nigel Farage and the Conservatives. 

With the impact of Trump’s war on Iran continuing to affect the cost of food and fuel, there has never been a more important time for the UK to strengthen relationships with Europe. 

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey warned it was a "make or break" moment for Labour MPs, who ultimately voted down the amendment. 

It means local businesses in Sussex, particularly those in hospitality, farming, and the care sector, will continue to face soaring costs and mountains of paperwork caused by Brexit. 

A new customs union would provide immediate, practical relief, removing tariffs and bureaucratic barriers that are pushing up prices and holding back growth in our local economy. 

Despite the Liberal Democrats winning a previous non-binding vote on the customs union in December, the government voted against the amendment. 

Commenting, Liberal Democrat MP for Mid Sussex, Alison Bennett, said: "People across Mid Sussex are still paying a daily Brexit premium on their shopping, their energy bills and their livelihoods.  No matter how hard they work or how much they save, the actions of successive reckless governments have left them paying the price ten years later.  

“Yesterday, Labour had the chance to start fixing that and they refused. This is yet another example of how the government is asleep at the wheel, ducking decisions that will bring about tangible change for families.

“A customs union with the EU is the most immediate, practical step we can take to ease the cost-of-living crisis, and Mid Sussex deserves better than a Labour Party too timid to act." 

John Milne, Lib Dem MP for Horsham, continued:  “We were told Brexit would make us richer and stronger. Well, that’s not how it turned out. The small businesses which are the backbone of this economy have suffered most because they can’t afford to wade through the mountains of red tape created by hard borders.  

“Brexit was 10 years ago, and we can’t turn the clock back. But we can at least get past this childish refusal to even think about mending our most important trading and security relationship.  

“There are so many ways to build a better trading and security relationship with Europe. What are we waiting for?!’” 

Following the amendment being voted down, Jess Brown-Fuller, Lib Dem MP for Chichester, said:  "Our families and businesses in Chichester are crying out for practical action to bring down the cost of living, and a customs union with the EU would provide exactly that, helping to recover up to £25 billion a year in lost economic potential. 

"From our farmers struggling with business costs to families doing the weekly shop, the Brexit burden is real, and it is ongoing. With the Iran War piling even more pressure on food and fuel prices, the government's refusal to act today is deeply disappointing. 

"Chichester deserves a government with the courage to fix the damage done by Farage and the Conservatives. Labour had that chance today, and they turned their backs on it." 

Liberal Democrat MP for the Lewes constituency, which includes Seaford, Newhaven, Polegate and local villages, James MacCleary, explained: “Yesterday afternoon, Labour MPs had a real chance to vote for a closer relationship with Europe, a chance to begin fixing the disaster that was Brexit. Every week I hear from families and businesses in my constituency who are struggling to pay the bills and to make ends meet. 

“A customs union would provide real change, easing the cost of living and the bureaucratic loops businesses currently have to jump through. 

“I am hugely disappointed that our amendment was voted down by Labour, however, I will never stop fighting for closer ties with our European neighbours.”