We asked you to submit your questions to candidates standing in the 2024 General Election.
From all your submissions, we chose 10 that represented the broad issues you wanted answers to.
We asked every candidate we had contact details for to respond.
We’ll be publishing them in the run-up to the General Election with the responses from the candidates who replied from each constituency.
These are the answers are from candidates standing in the Westmorland & Lonsdale constituency.
What will you do to address the damage caused by Brexit, and what will you do to improve trade with the EU?
Tim Farron, Liberal Democrats
We desperately need to repair our broken relationship with our European neighbours. We need to rebuild confidence by agreeing partnerships or associations with EU agencies and programmes such as the European Aviation Safety Agency, Erasmus Plus, scientific programmes, climate and environment initiatives, and cooperation on defence, security and crime.
Once we’ve restored that trust, we can then seek to negotiate better trade terms which will support our local businesses.
James Townley, Reform UK
One main issue with Brexit has been the lack of government direction to use it to its full potential. Another referendum would only hold the country back further.
The European Union is struggling, with France and Italy bearing significant debt burdens, European farmers revolting, and numerous legal proceedings and scandals involving European Parliament members.
We need to negotiate new trade deals, finalise existing ones, and implement incentives to attract foreign direct investment.
Addressing skill shortages and preparing the workforce for future demands are also crucial. Utilising our freedom to diverge from EU regulations will be beneficial.
The success of Brexit, which is entirely possible, requires a strong government willing to work with it.
The economic effects of COVID-19 and frequent changes in Conservative leadership have hindered a successful economy post-Brexit.
Izzy Solabarrieta, Heritage Party
Brexit was handled was a disaster for the country. I remember how things seemed to change when the referendum was first announced, and how on social media people started to suddenly become very political and divided. That has continued, in fact it seems it was the start of the widescale division which we see today.
The relentless media coverage for years following the referendum seemed designed to just drive us all mad. And when it actually happened it was appalling, the only word I can describe it as is a shambles.
But now that Brexit has happened, we must take the opportunity for us to manage our own affairs. The Heritage Party aims for Britain to be self-sufficient in skills, in much of our food production and in our energy production. Being self-sufficient would reduce our reliance on trade deals and allow us to pick the trade deals that are actually beneficial to the UK.
It is also an opportunity for us to leave some of the damaging treaties that we have stayed in. We need to leave the UK/EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement so that we can take back control of our own rich 200-mile fishing zone. This would also take us out of the net zero commitments we have made, which make no sense and will only damage us and the future of our country.
We can have excellent relations with the EU and with our European neighbours, but we do need to control our own sovereignty.
Phil Clayton, the Green Party
We opposed Brexit, but we respect the decision from the referendum. So our aim is to mitigate the damage done by 1) rebuilding relationships with the EU, 2) renegotiating the dreadful trade deal the Conservatives agreed, 3) eventually rejoining the Common Market.
