Welcome to 2019!

Monica talking to young supporters on Weston Green

Wherever this year takes us you can be sure that I and the Liberal Democrats in Elmbridge will be fighting hard for a better future for you and the UK.

On Brexit we will continue to push hard for a second referendum as a way out of the parliamentary and political stalemate our representatives have got us to. It is clear - however you voted in the referendum - that the Prime Ministers deal or 'no deal' harms our country, our economy and our standing in the world. It is also clear that the answer to concerns about immigration is not Brexit, which will leave us without essential workers while preventing our children having the opportunities we had to live and work In Europe. The pursuit of Brexit has harmed our sovereignty rather than restored it - witness the paralysis of Parliament and the denial of a parliamentary vote, the attacks on our courts and on our civil servants. And it threatens the very integrity of the UK itself, and the hard-won peace in Northern Ireland with the potential of a return to a hard border. In a year where countries retreat into isolationism and trade wars, we need to stand strong with our allies, our closest friends and our neighbours; against external threats on our own soil and in other parts of the world.

The Liberal Democrats, unlike the Conservatives and the Labour Party who have both promised to deliver Brexit (or Lexit), have been consistent in our message that Brexit is bad for Britain and the current deal we have - remaining in the European Union - delivers in the country’s best interests. It keeps us economically strong and secures and protects our futures.

So, on Brexit I will fight for a people’s vote, with Remain an option on the ballot paper. This is what the people of Esher and Walton want - we know that from the result of the referendum - and from more recent research published in December by the Surrey Advertiser, and from our own Brexitometers in the constituency.

But it’s not just about Brexit. This weekend marks the close of consultations by Conservative controlled Surrey County Council on the invidious choice they have given us between cuts to libraries, children's centres, recycling centres, ending concessionary bus travel at peak times or SEN services. These are closures that will affect us all - young and old and in between - and impact some of the most vulnerable in our society. What kind of choice is this in 2019, in the sixth largest economy in the world? This is the doing of a Conservative central government which has starved local authorities of cash, giving them the difficult decisions - and a local Conservative administration which has mismanaged the County Council and its portfolio of services - for instance failing in its duty to protect children in Surrey and providing underperforming SEND services year after year. This is a Conservative Government and Conservative Council letting its electorate down.

It is simply outrageous that our trains won’t get us to work, that we subsidise our schools out of our own pockets because school budgets have been cut by an average of 8% and that a million children are in poverty right now in our country.

In the absence of a sensible opposition the Liberal Democrats will step forward to provide the alternative. We will fight against cuts to services and against austerity. We want to end this obsession with Brexit by an ideological few which has led to poor focus on and stewardship of our schools, our health service, the environment and our infrastructure, while money is rerouted preparing for no deals of the Government's own making.

In May, at the ballot box for local elections - and in any election or referendum that comes - we will fight for fairness and for our children's futures. We will be demanding better every step of the way and we will be asking voters to think before they tick the box - is this the strong and stable government they voted for, or do they want an alternative?

We are the alternative choice in Esher and Walton. Why not quit voting for the hard Brexiteer who wants 'no deal'. Vote instead for change; for the moderate, reasoned, sensible choice - not someone mad for an ideology or personal ambition but a mum, a professional, a school Governor. Someone who doesn’t take the voter for granted and represents the majority in Esher and Walton.

It’s an easy choice to make.

Wishing you and your loved ones a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.