Protecting jobs and opportunity across Plymouth and South Devon
As someone seeking to represent the city of Plymouth in Parliament, I recognise that the Plymouth and South Devon Freeport is critical to bringing more jobs and opportunity to our community.
The freeport is already emerging as a hub of economic activity. It will generate at least 3,500 jobs across the City and surrounding area. It is breathing new life into Plymouth and South Devon’s business community. It is at the heart of equipping young people with a range of relevant skills. By making the freeport an ever-greater success, Plymouth and South Devon will once again emerge as a centre of international trade and commerce.
If I am elected/re-elected as an MP at the next General Election I commit to using all my power, agency and influence to safeguard the freeport and to ensure it thrives in the future.
Plymouth and South Devon freeport depends on a tax and regulatory framework that would not be possible from within the European Union (EU), EU single market, or EU customs union. As such, I commit to taking a cautious and sceptical approach to any attempts to renegotiate the relationship between the UK and the EU.
Specifically, I commit to:
- Keeping my door open - to the leaders of the freeport and the businesses within it. I will listen to their concerns and seek to articulate these to government and other stakeholders on an ongoing basis
- Supporting an incentivising tax regime within the freeport - to encourage new businesses. This includes continually thinking about new ways to ease the financial and regulatory burdens around starting and growing businesses
- Ruling out ever rejoining the EU customs union or single market - or participating in any arrangement with the EU that would give EU member states or EU bodies any say over the operation of the freeport
- Resisting any alignment with EU state aid rules - which would make it impossible to give the freeport the support it needs to survive and thrive
- Giving the freeport long-term stability - by ruling out entering into any shared customs jurisdiction or common rule book with the EU affecting mainland Britain in the next Parliament. Any of these would make the freeport unworkable
Signed:
Gareth Streeter, Conservative Candidate for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport
Johnny Mercer, Conservative Candidate for Plymouth Moor View
Cllr Rebecca Smith, Conservative Candidate for South West Devon
Peter Gold, Reform Candidate for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport
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If you are a Plymouth candidate standing in the General Election and would like to sign the pact, please email gareth@gareth-streeter.com