An honour and a privilege to have the Prime Minister visit Eastbourne

As many know, Theresa May was born in the town at the now demolished Upperton Road maternity hospital. She spent her early years in Darley Road in the Meads as her father was chaplain at All Saints Hospital & Chapel in the 1950s.

The hospital, a beautiful Victorian property on the seafront, has subsequently been developed for housing, but the Chapel is still there and is a much-loved venue for concerts and receptions.

Of course, the visit was no trip down memory lane for someone who is fighting a General Election and making sure this country gets the best Brexit deal possible.

I very much admired the PM for her speech outside Downing Street on Wednesday fighting back at forces in Brussels and beyond who want to make our leaving the EU as difficult as possible.

I have said many times these talks will be challenging and now the evidence is mounting they will be, but I still do feel a deal will be done when some of the posturing settles down.

One thing is for sure, the Prime Minister, if she wins the General Election, will be a formidable opponent to those who wish to punish us for Brexit. For a leaver, like me, the attitude of some in the EU is evidence enough the European Commission, led by Jean-Claude Juncker, is unwilling to work constructively with a friend and ally, who simply wants to take control of its own destiny.

This is disappointing, but I think it shows how out of touch the EU is and how undemocratic it has become, and I think it shows the decision of the British people last June to leave was the right one.

I’m sure leaders in EU countries will eventually see they have to work with Britain economically and in security matters and there will be a lessening in the rhetoric on both sides and we will come to a compromise.

There may be a war of words right now that some opposed to Brexit will attempt to grasp, but the fundamentals remain the same. Britain is a major country, a powerful country and it will succeed on the global stage when it leaves the EU.