Express & Star Comment: Public want Brexit deal sorting now
It is positive news that unemployment has once again fallen in the West Midlands.
According to figures released today, in the three months to September there were 8,000 fewer people out of work across the region.
It comes at a time when average earnings are also on the up, while the latest figures posted by retailers suggest they could be in for a bumper Christmas.
However, we should not get carried away.
Despite a succession of drops in unemployment over the course of this year, the regional rate is still one of the highest in the UK at 5.5 per cent.
And businesses – particularly those in the manufacturing sector – are quietly concerned about what the future holds.
Like the rest of the country, the prosperity of the Black Country and Staffordshire is inextricably linked to Brexit.
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It is absolutely vital that Theresa May's Government charts a path out of the EU that enables businesses to thrive once we have departed the bloc.
There is too much uncertainty in the air at the moment.
And much of it is being caused by our politicians, some of whom are seemingly intent on either disrupting the process, or, in some cases, blocking it entirely.
It is acceptable for MPs to question elements of the EU Withdrawal bill that is currently being debated in the Commons.
But there is a serious danger that many of their points of debate are little more than delaying tactics.
The majority of people in Britain voted to leave the EU.
This went against the wishes of many of our politicians. It is clear that had there not been a referendum, Brexit would never stand a chance of becoming a reality.
For some, the vote to leave the union was connected to dissatisfaction with the 'we know best' attitude displayed by the likes of David Cameron and George Osborne, and before them, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
Now within the current crop of politicians there are those who are behaving with the same level of arrogance.
They should realise the negative impact their disruptive efforts are having.
While they pick holes in every tiny detail, the public just want them to get on with Brexit.
