Responding to the Prime Minister triggering Article 50 today, Conservative Parliamentary spokesman for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland Simon Clarke said:
"People across Teesside overwhelmingly backed the decision to leave the EU and will be delighted to see Theresa May honour her promise to trigger Article 50 before the end of March. This will allow us to take back control of powers we should never have surrendered in the first place, including over our borders and fisheries and how we make our laws.
"Like me, they want Britain to be a good partner to our friends and allies in Europe but not subject to regulations made in Brussels. For Britain to succeed in the twenty-first century we will need to be an agile, free trading economy with a global focus – resolutely in favour of free markets, a high skills base and low taxes. This is what Brexit will allow us to deliver.
"Businesses on Teesside stand ready to compete with the very best in the world and have rarely been more confident about the future. It’s now time to embrace the new opportunities that lie ahead."