The Liberal Democrats have been the loudest voices in Parliament consistently and unashamedly championing closer economic, defence and cultural ties with Europe, after the Tories botched deal with the EU.

I was privileged to present the Making the UK–EU Reset Summit Count motion to the Liberal Democrat Conference and made the following party policy, pushing for the Government to be much more ambitious in rebuilding our links with the EU:

A bespoke UK–EU Customs Unions by 2030 – To cut red tape, boost growth, and £25 billion a year to spend on public services.

A Youth Mobility Scheme – So our young people can live and work across the continent.

A new Rearmament Bank with the EU – To supercharge our combined rearmament in the face of Russian aggression.

A new Security and Defence Partnership – To safeguard our collective security against a temperamental Trump.

A Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) agreement to back British farmers.

Securing association with EU regulations to remove unnecessary friction and maintain our high standards in areas like chemicals, aviation and medicine.

It is a real shame the Government has failed to show real ambition to renew the UK’s relations with the EU – as it continues to refuse to entertain the prospect of membership of the Single Market or the Customs Union – and that so little was achieved on other vital issues, including:

A lack of progress on securing an agreement for UK touring artists.

The failure to agree mutual recognition of professional qualifications.

No progress on UK associate membership of the European Defence Agency (EDA).

A lack of clarity about the introduction of the EU’s Entry/ Exit Scheme and the disruption it could cause for UK travellers.

I believe that strengthening our economic ties with Europe will not only boost growth at home but also insulate us from President Trump’s irrational trade war.

This policy is built upon the work we as a party has done previously and it the first part of our four–stage approach to rebuilding our relationship with Europe.

The government has promised a lot but has no urgency for implementation. We need to provide certainty to UK exporters about the timeline for implementing a SPS agreement, and to UK travellers on when they will be able to use e–gates in airports across the EU

Committing the UK to join the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Operation Althea, recognising the importance of promoting stability in the Balkans and following the political decision by the Conservatives to withdraw the UK from this mission. Putin’s puppet Dodik in the breakaway Republic of Srpska shows how this is necessary now more than ever.