BREXIT negotiations continue to form the mainstay of political conversation this week and Matt Rodda says he is fighting to preserve business interests in Thames Valley.

The Labour MP for Reading East reignited his stand against a hard Brexit following a recent visit from party leader Jeremy Corbyn to discuss the town's growing housing crisis.

Mr Rodda later met with John Howarth, MEP for Labour South East, at Thames Valley Business Park to discuss the best approach for Reading and the thriving technology sector.

Productivity within the Thames Valley region is high and a £10bn turnover in the technology sector is the largest figure outside of London, but the majority of Labour MP's are being asked to oppose a Conservative-led bill to depart from EU laws.

Mr Rodda said: “I will be pushing against a hard Brexit. The impact on businesses both large and small in my constituency would be unimaginable.

Reading Chronicle:

“I am calling for a soft Brexit to protect jobs in Reading and Woodley and to help to retain the key larger firms, while also standing up for our small-to-medium businesses of which there are a great many in the town.”

During Mr Corbyn's visit, he gave a passionate speech at homelessness charity Launchpad and slammed private sector housing as the root cause for rough sleeping in the town.

More than 44,000 people are employed in Thames Valley and the Labour leader is concerned Brexit could have an adverse and uncertain impact on business growth.

He added: “We want tariff-free trade access to the European Market for the manufacturing industry and for services.

“Reading and the whole Thames Valley relies very heavily on hi-tech manufacturing and relies very heavily on advanced computer technology and all that goes with that.”

Mr Howarth said Britain's longstanding relationship with Europe was a huge factor in allowing the technology sector to thrive in the area.

Retaining strong bonds with the Single Market, in his opinion, is necessary for protecting business.

“Britain’s membership of the European Union over the past forty years has brought huge benefits to the Thames Valley's technology and traditional industries,” he added.