Read below for my article in the Ham and High, to mark the 5th anniversary of Brexit.

It is no secret that I did not want Brexit to happen. With over 75% of my constituents voting to remain, neither did they.

I delayed my caesarean section to vote against it. I resigned from my position in the shadow cabinet to vote against it. I did everything I could.

Five years on, with thousands of EU nationals living in Hampstead and Highgate, I am acutely aware of the barriers to trade and travel that Brexit has created.

Sixteen thousand businesses have stopped trading with the EU. Many are small businesses – some are in my constituency – unable to afford the deluge of red tape imposed upon them.

Do not forget about the drop in school trips to Europe, the 50% cut in EU students at our universities, or the young adults losing the right to work on the continent. It saddens me that our children have lost the vast opportunities my generation had to build connections in Europe.

Five years of a Conservative Brexit deal have been damaging, but hope is not lost.

This Labour Government was elected on the mandate of economic growth: to improve living standards and spread opportunity across the UK.

Strengthening our relationship in Europe is key to delivering this. The Conservative era of unpragmatic Euroscepticism is over.

The Government has been clear. We will not rejoin the EU, the Single Market, or the Customs Union. However, to solve the shared challenges that we face, greater co-operation is essential.

That is why Keir Starmer was the first British Prime Minister to attend a summit of EU leaders since Brexit. That is why Rachel Reeves was the first British Chancellor to attend the Eurogroup of finance ministers since Brexit. My colleagues are on a mission to ambitiously reset our relationship with Europe.

The Conservatives were happy with the status quo of cutting co-operation and increasing trade barriers. This Labour government is not.

The Conservatives are not offering an alternative. They continue to sing from the hymn sheet of austerity and isolationism. That is not how you improve living standards or tackle inequality. Instead, that is how you stagnate the British economy.

Do I still lament the fact that we left the EU? Absolutely. However, I will keep fighting for a closer relationship with our European friends, for the sake of my constituents and for economic growth.