You can find the video of the episode here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b08c3mqf/sunday-politics-north-east-and-cumbria-05022017
President Trump is clearly a polarising person; you do not have to like him, but you have to work with him. He is the democratically elected president of the United States, and it is clearly in our national interest to maintain a strong and positive relationship with the USA, both before and after Brexit.
The Article 50 vote was a resounding confirmation of the democratic will of the British people. I make no secret about campaigning strongly for the UK to remain in the European Union, but accept fully the result of the referendum. You do not get to pick and choose which bits of democracy you agree with. The government has rightly set-out a detailed 77 page White Paper on our position and aims in the Brexit negotiations, that will rightly be debated in Parliament. We are leaving the EU, and there is much cause for optimism and positivity, as we do so.
Anyone that has not done so already, I strongly encourage to come out and meet our outstanding candidate Trudy Harrison, who is standing as the Conservative candidate in the Copeland by-election. She is absolutely clear that Sellafield is vital to local jobs and livelihoods, and only a Conservative government and local MP can ensure that nuclear remains a key part of our national energy mix. Having been to Copeland eight times already, I can say with a good deal of certainty that the reaction on the doorstep to Jeremy Corbyn's North London anti-nuclear credentials is extremely poor. Rightly, local residents want to see the survival of and investment in our national nuclear energy, and see that with a Conservative MP, Sellafield will continue to be a vital part of our national energy infrastructure. The NHS is getting more funds, and is undergoing real, transformational localisation of services. Local residents, doctors, and clinical experts are informing the decision on the ground that matter to local people; about service distribution and the right plan for local NHS provision moving forward. On the issue of Sunderland I am 100% behind the city of culture campaign
