WHEN I stepped down as Rail Minister this summer I promised to use the comparative freedom of the backbenches to closely examine the Government’s emerging plans for Brexit and this week I had an opportunity to do just that.

Despite some of the more shrill headlines that you might read, there is no attempt being made to scupper Brexit or negate the Referendum results as to do so would be to defy the voice of the British people who gave MPs the very clear message in June that they want to end political union with Brussels and restore control over the rules and regulations that govern our lives and determine who can live and work in this country.

That message has been received loud and clear and our Prime Minister has quite properly put us on the path for the trigger of Article 50 in March.

But I am also getting the message loud and clear from the people that I represent, that no one voted Leave to make themselves poorer or the country less secure and that means that we need to clearly and calmly focus on getting the best deal for Britain as we enter the negotiations.

It is my view that with the fifth largest economy in the world and the skills and ingenuity of the British people, we can get a bespoke deal that supports our trade with the Single Market, gives us control over our borders, frees us from hefty European budget contributions and removes us from remote European court decisions – but we need to seek that bespoke deal free from the ideological baggage that has dogged the debate about our relationship with the EU since the Maastricht Treaty.

And, while it would clearly not be sensible for the Government to offer line-by-line guidance on its negotiating position before the Brexit process starts, Parliament does expect to be informed of the key aims.

I anticipate much more parliamentary scrutiny of these negotiations over the next few months and, of course, the Great Repeal Bill, which will annul the 1972 European Communities Act and restore the primacy of UK law, will be subject to the normal Parliamentary processes of debate and voting.

It will be a profoundly important few years and I feel strongly that this is the most challenging thing Britain’s politicians will be asked to do in my political lifetime. The future prosperity of the country is up for negotiation and as the febrile financial market indicators are showing, there will be swift and significant penalties for getting this wrong.