As we begin another year, we can hope and pray that things will improve - or we can tell Rishi to get on with it. The UK has been hit hard by global events, such as the pandemic, the Russia Ukraine war and now we have the strikes. Add to that mix, the unwinding of the Bank of England’s Quantitative Easing (QE) response to the 2008 credit crunch.

Most other countries, especially the developed ones around the world, have also been hit just as hard as we have. But the usual suspect Remoaners are trying to convince you, that the UK is in an economic downturn bubble all of its own - and that it’s all down to Brexit!

All you have to do is use your favourite search engine to find out the real truth. When Remoaners say UK car production is down due to Brexit for example, just look at the drop in German and US car production in the last few years.

When they talk about shortages of healthcare professionals, just search and you will find it’s a global problem. Yes, there is global shortage of doctors and nurses. In fact, the NHS, in its quest to become the most ‘diverse’ organisation on the planet, leaves the elderly and vulnerable in other countries without access to healthcare professionals, as we use the UK cheque book to buy their doctors and nurses in, instead of training our own.

There are many reports from around the world that developed countries are finding it harder to obtain enough workers and those other countries, for the most part have higher unemployment levels than us, especially at the youth level.

Also other developed countries are now facing up to the need to reform their pension systems to account for an ageing population, it’s not just the UK.

Workers are striking around the world for better pay in the face of rising inflation. It’s not just the UK.

Now, what Brexit has given us, is the ability to forge our own way - but at present we are still hampered by the Northern Ireland Protocol and the inability or unwillingness of this Tory government and the wider establishment to grasp the nettle and do what is required to bring Northern Ireland back fully into the UK fold. The government also refuses to get on with reforms, that would free the City of London for example, to really make its mark on the international stage.

While Rishi Sunak does a go-slow over the clearing out of unnecessary retained EU law. It is clear that Westminster is doing all it can to keep a muzzle on the UK preventing it from exercising its freedoms and the only reason for that would be, if they intend to wind us back in, bit by bit, under EU control once more.

This we cannot allow!

Lester Taylor

UK independence Party – BREXIT & Northern Ireland Spokesman