Gainsborough MP Sir Edward Leigh says Brexit will have a positive impact on UK fishing industry

The Common Fisheries Policy has proved an environmental disaster and devastated coastal communities.

Other European Union member states land around eight times as much fish in British waters as the UK does in other EU member states’ waters.

The Government is looking to overhaul the current system so that it can ensure a better share of fishing opportunities for British fishermen.

Taking back control of British waters will help to repair the environmental damage from decades of over-fishing and I hope will increase economic opportunities for many people living along UK coasts.

It is also important for strengthening the economic freedom which is one of the essential pillars of a free and flourishing democratic society.

I believe that hard working families and individuals should be able to keep as much of their earnings as possible and to spend it as they see fit.

Taxation is necessary because we all have things in common which need looking after such as schools, the National Health Service, infrastructure, and of course the military and police to keep the country safe.

There is no economic freedom, however, without workers’ rights and the Government has been making an effort to name and shame those employers that don’t play by the rules.

Recently, a list of 239 employers who have underpaid their workers in the UK has been made public as part of the effort to ensure a fair economy that works for everyone.

This Conservative initiative is now in its fifth year, and has so far identified £10.8 million in back pay for about 90,000 workers – with more than 1,900 employers receiving fines for underpaying.

Crucially, it is the UK’s lowest paid workers who have seen the fastest wage growth in 20 years thanks to the introduction of the National Living Wage.

We want an economy that is fair but also one that is flourishing.

Mark Carney, the Governor of the Bank of England, recently mentioned that the economic data has given him great confidence for the future of the economy.

He says household spending has bounced back strongly and the most recent figures from the Office of National Statistics show that growth in the economy in the first three months of this year was revised to higher than was initially stated.

Construction is another vital UK industry that adds £138 billion to the economy each year.

In eight years of a Labour Government, around 50,000 jobs were lost in this sector.

Since the Conservatives entered Government in 2010, more than 240,000 jobs have been created in this sector.

Taking back control of British waters, naming and shaming dodgy employers, making sure workers are paid properly, creating jobs and bolstering strong economic sectors – all of these factors combine to create some strong opportunities for the future.