Blog: Westminster plans ahead after an extraordinary 24 hours

He writes:

As Harold Wilson said: 'A week is a long time in politics', and it certainly feels like more than a week’s politics has happened in the past 24 hours.

It is hard to exaggerate the magnitude of change the British electorate has made; and yet at the same time, we must remember, there is a managed period of transition laid out, with two or more years before a full divorce. Until we ultimately leave the EU, there will be a period of status quo with current legislation in place.

With so much debate about the Brexit result, it is useful to reflect on how the Referendum was ever first dreamt up; it was a direct result of the threat of UKIP in the 2015 General Election. It was a ploy to head off the momentum of UKIP, which would have almost certainly lost the Conservatives the election, by splitting the right vote and allowing Labour or Liberal Democrats through in marginal seats.

The NFU works with all political parties in the interests of NFU members. In political lobbying it is vital to be on the front foot, to 'be there' and 'get in early'. The Brexit vote means agricultural, animal health and environmental policy will be repatriated to Westminster and the devolved administrations. That is why today we are sending all our MPs and rural Peers a letter from the NFU President with an NFU briefing outlining what British farm businesses need now the UK has opted to leave the EU.

We will follow the Extraordinary Meeting of NFU Council on 1 July with a Parliamentary reception on 5 July to enable the NFU President to explain and seek support for our policy priorities outside of the EU. At this event we are asking MPs to pledge their support for UK agriculture as we move towards an era outside the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP).

We are working closely with our Brussels office to shape the best possible new UK policies. We are identifying where CAP worked well, and where it can be improved on, in a new British farming Bill. Our priority is to ensure that successive governments protect the interests of all our members sectors for the long-term.

On trade, we are pushing for the best possible access to the single market, using our extensive network of MPs and ministers. We are urging government to open up new markets for British produce. On access to labour, our priority is a replacement for the seasonal agricultural workers scheme.

MPs are generally pragmatic and thick-skinned, so in many ways they should be able to return to business in a professional manner, such as we saw with the formation of the coalition in 2010.

However, some of the more vociferous debate may be harder to heal. We will not let Brexit talks overshadow issues that impact upon our members, such as BPS problems or rural broadband rollout.

And as ever, we will be grilling politicians of all parties at our NFU Fringe Events at the party conferences this autumn.