There has been a lot of discussion recently about the inadequacy of the Government’s so-called Brexit impact studies.
But some much more substantial research has also been attracting media attention - the economic assessments carried out by the Treasury on the likely impact of our exit from the EU.
The results of these impartial assessments do not make happy reading, particularly for those parts of the UK with the strongest “Leave” vote. All parts of the UK will grow more slowly outside the EU than in – and that includes Bristol and the West of England.
In the referendum our city voted 62 per cent to stay in the EU, partly because so much of our economy relies on the jobs, training and apprenticeships provided by trans-European businesses such as BAe Systems, Airbus and Rolls-Royce, alongside the vital research and employment opportunities at our world-class universities the University of Bristol and University of the West of England, allied to our NHS Trusts based at Southmead and the BRI.
There has been a lot of discussion recently about the inadequacy of the Government’s so-called Brexit impact studies.
But some much more substantial research has also been attracting media attention - the economic assessments carried out by the Treasury on the likely impact of our exit from the EU.
The results of these impartial assessments do not make happy reading, particularly for those parts of the UK with the strongest “Leave” vote. All parts of the UK will grow more slowly outside the EU than in – and that includes Bristol and the West of England.
In the referendum our city voted 62 per cent to stay in the EU, partly because so much of our economy relies on the jobs, training and apprenticeships provided by trans-European businesses such as BAe Systems, Airbus and Rolls-Royce, alongside the vital research and employment opportunities at our world-class universities the University of Bristol and University of the West of England, allied to our NHS Trusts based at Southmead and the BRI.
But despite all this, Bristol’s voice is being ignored in the rush towards Brexit.
Our universities and NHS Trusts are already experiencing fall-out from Brexit – and it hasn’t even happened yet. We are seeing reduced international co-operation in research projects and fewer students from abroad applying, especially from EU countries that we currently partner with. There is also a knock-on impact from the rest of the world. For example Japanese politicians have bluntly told Theresa May that if it comes to a choice of trading with the UK or the EU, the EU wins hands down.
Our city is very much open for business, so why should we suffer?
These negative impacts are already having a serious effect on our NHS. Our local NHS Trusts are highly respected around the world for their pioneering research and treatment for a wide range of conditions from cancers to heart surgery. The Leave campaign focused upon the strains allegedly imposed on the NHS by “immigrants” but what about the doctors, nurses, physios, occupational therapists, pharmacists and support staff who came to the EU in large numbers to work in that very same health service?
The fact is that EU nationals have made, and are still making, a far greater contribution to our NHS than they take out.
Many of these people are now returning home as they feel unwanted here and they are not being replaced. So, the remaining staff are expected to perform ever more heroically under greater and greater pressure.
And, let’s for a minute play the Leavers’ game of saying these people can be replaced by UK citizens. The reality is that training opportunities are being cut year-on-year. These NHS professionals cannot be replaced overnight, their qualifications take years to achieve – and the rest of us, as patients and carers, wouldn’t have it otherwise.
One example is the dire shortage of Registered Nurses across all specialities. This Government has cut bursaries for student nurses, with the result that applications have dropped dramatically. Even if they could be trained up in say six months or 12 months, too few people apply. Southmead NHS Trust recently tried to make up the shortfall by applying to the Philippines as they have in recent years, but without success. For whatever reason Filipino nurses no longer want to come to the UK.
With 120,000 nurses due to retire by 2020, this is a growing problem for our hospitals and community services. But why should Bristol’s world-class NHS pay the price of Brexit?
Bristol is the only urban area outside London and the South East that makes a net contribution to Government coffers. We “suffer” the problems of success in that our city attracts so many people seeking jobs, homes and a better life.
Is it fair that our views don’t seem to count when it comes to our future in Europe?
Eileen Means is co-chair of Bristol For Europe, a cross-party political pressure group working to keep Bristol and the UK at the heart of Europe and to stop Brexit