Three years ago the United Kingdom decided that we should leave the European Union.

It did so in an referendum that saw greater numbers vote than ever before. And those 17.4 million votes to Leave are something that no Government or Prime Minister has come close to, not even Margaret Thatcher.

That is why it is so important that we do leave the European Union as soon as is reasonably possible.

It may be that the necessary vote passes before 22nd May 2019 so that the UK leaves the EU before the European elections.

Many people will not be pleased if the elections do go ahead. However, if the UK is required by law to take part on the European elections, it is crucial that the Conservative Party stands candidates.

Our participation in those elections is crucial for two reasons.

Firstly, even if we are only members of the EU for a few more weeks, we must make sure that the European Parliament is not flooded with MEPs from this country who wish to overturn to referendum result or frustrate the process of leaving.

Secondly, we must demonstrate that, unlike other parties, the Conservatives are not a single-issue party.

While the Labour Party’s policy on Brexit seems to change weekly, if not daily, many of their MPs, Welsh Assembly Members, and MEPs want another referendum. Their Deputy Leader in Westminster called for a second referendum just this week.

If more Labour MEPs are sent to Brussels, even for a short time, many of them will not be acting in the interests of the 17.4 million who voted for us to leave.

Labour’s Brexit policy seems confused, however Plaid Cymru’s is extremely clear.

Like the SNP in Scotland, Plaid Cymru are eyeing Brexit as another opportunity for them to try and split up our United Kingdom. Just last month, at Plaid Cymru’s conference in Llandudno, their leader outlined his plan for Wales to become an independent member of the EU following Brexit.

As Conservatives we must stand in these elections not only to stop MEPs delaying Brexit from within Brussels, we must also stand candidates to stop Plaid Cymru and other nationalists from doing their best to split up the United Kingdom.

This is not a time for division. This is in fact the time that we should be coming together as a country.

If the European Elections take place, we must also remember that we are not a single-issue party. Whether we look to UKIP/the Brexit Party, the Greens, or Plaid Cymru and the SNP, they all exist to achieve single goals.

As Conservatives, people rightly look for us to be more than a single-issue campaign group. We are expected to be a mature party of government and deliver multiple policies at once for the benefit of the country.

We can deliver Brexit, but in doing so we can, and we must, keep our focus on the other important issues. It is what is expected from us.

We must continue to create an environment in which businesses of all sizes can thrive, develop, and create jobs.

We must continue to support the NHS, something the Labour Party has failed to do in Wales as the Welsh NHS has become the only health service in the UK to experience a funding cut.

And we must continue to support our education system while the Welsh Government’s Liberal Democrat Education Minister tries to force through a new curriculum which teachers, parents and unions all have concerns about.

These are all things the Conservatives have been doing, both in Government in Westminster and in opposition in Wales and Scotland, and we must continue to do them while at the same time making sure we deliver on the outcome of the 2016 referendum.

If we have not left before the EU elections, it is crucial that Conservative MEPs are elected to the European Parliament to stand up for our country and face down Jeremy Corbyn’s socialist dream. If we give labour an inch, they will take a mile.

Crucial so that everything else that is important to the country is not forgotten about during Brexit.

And crucial so that as we do leave the EU, we protect the country from those that see Brexit as their opportunity to break up our United Kingdom.