Tory: Time to get Brexit done and move on

Labour’s Faisal Rashid is defending a majority of 2,549 in the constituency but Andy Carter is confident he can win it in the general election on December 12.

The Conservative politician, who voted to Remain in the EU referendum in 2016, has thrown his support behind the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal.

Mr Carter said: “I voted Remain and I’ve been very open about this all the way through – I wasn’t involved in politics in 2016.

“But I am a democrat and I believe that when you ask people in a referendum, should we Remain or should we Leave, and the answer comes back we should Leave, and it was more than a million people more saying we should Leave, we should follow that through and we should deliver on that result.

“And to be three and a half years down the line still having a debate over whether we should leave or whether we should stay, I think actually it’s quite understandable why people are getting so fed up with it and we need to get Brexit done and we need to move on.”

Mr Carter insists leaving the EU is ‘absolutely’ the right thing to do despite fears over the issue.

He said: “Do I believe that there is going to be a rosy period ahead for us? The answer is nobody knows.”

He also believes the proposals set out in the council’s draft local plan – which earmarked more than 7,000 homes for green belt land – are ‘not sound’.

“I don’t believe it would pass an independent inspection,” he said.

“I have looked very carefully at what is being proposed and I don’t think the infrastructure, firstly, is there to satisfy the level of build that is proposed.”

And Mr Carter discussed highways schemes including the proposed £212.7 million Western Link road, which he believes will help to address the town’s congestion problems.

He added: “I am supportive of infrastructure and investment, I do think we need to see that here in Warrington and I think the town has missed out greatly in the past, so they are projects I think we have to take forward.”

Former Conservative Chancellor George Osborne pledged that drivers in Warrington and Cheshire West and Chester would have tolls on the crossing waived ahead of the 2015 general election.

But many of Warrington’s motorists have faced a £1,080 yearly bill to cross the site following a Government U-turn.

However, in October Labour confirmed it has no plans to scrap tolls at the site, if it was in Government.

Mr Carter said he ‘deeply’ regrets the comments made by Mr Osborne.