MP STEVE Baker has apologised for the "pain and difficulty" Brexit has caused to Wycombe residents.

The Brexiteer has exclusively written to the Bucks Free Press newspaper, explaining it is now time to put the "hard years of Brexit behind us and look towards the future." 

The Northern Ireland minister and former Brexit rebel was one of the most ardent backers of the prime minister’s deal, comparing the level of “statecraft” involved in the negotiations to that leading up to the Good Friday Agreement.

He said: "I know how tough the years since the EU referendum have been for all shades of opinion. There are people in the Wycombe community who have always been angry and upset by my role in Brexit. As I said to the people of Ireland last year, I am truly sorry for the pain and difficulty we have all endured since the referendum; some of our actions were not respectful of others’ legitimate interests, and I have apologised for that.

"Until now, the Northern Ireland Protocol has been an unresolved issue that I have been determined to rectify. I strongly want the UK as a whole to be able to take advantage of our unique position as an independent, sovereign nation with a great relationship of trade and cooperation with the EU.

"The Protocol upset the delicate balance of the Good Friday Agreement and caused the power-sharing institutions in Northern Ireland to collapse. It has been our duty to restore relationships within Northern Ireland and create a framework which works for everyone - and the deal the Prime Minister has announced will do that.

"The Windsor Framework sets out a new beginning for the UK and our relations with Europe. We have provided a structure which creates certainty for people and businesses trading outside and within Northern Ireland. This was said by many to be an impossible feat to achieve, and it serves as a representation of a positive new era for our relationship with the EU.

"Through this deal Northern Ireland will now be able to benefit not just from the expansive UK market, but also the EU’s single market. Freer flowing trade will be available by the removal of the border in the Irish Sea. The freedom that this deal will bring to Northern Irish trade is beneficial to the whole of the UK. This deal dramatically improves the position of Northern Ireland in the Union of the UK, especially on trade. This means that the people of Wycombe will have faster access to goods from Northern Ireland, and vice versa. Produce such as chilled meats from Wycombe and other parts of Great Britain will now be able to be transported and sold in Northern Ireland much more easily.

"The Windsor Framework is a real turning point for the UK and our relations with the EU. It protects the balance of the Good Friday Agreement, and can bring to a halt long fought arguments about the UK’s exit from the European Union. We should embrace this for what it is - a move towards much improved relations with our European friends and neighbours - and move on as partners, working together on issues of mutual interest.

"I know how divided Brexit made our community and others across the UK, but I have been so pleased with the reaction from both strong remainers and strong leavers to this deal. It is time to put the hard years of Brexit behind us and look towards the future, united with confidence in better days ahead."