Stone tables parliamentary motion in bid to scrap 'festival of Brexit'
Local MP Jamie Stone has taken another step forward in his bid to have the UK government's "Brexit festival" scrapped by tabling a parliamentary motion on the issue.
Festival UK 2022 is a £120 million nationwide programme planned for next year and intended to celebrate creativity and innovation.
But Mr Stone, who is the Liberal Democrats' spokesperson for digital, culture, media and sport, wants it to be cancelled with the money redirected to a Covid-19 recovery fund.
The motion calling on the government to cancel the "festival of Brexit" comes after Mr Stone started a petition on his website which has attracted more than 14,000 signatures.
The Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross MP said: "Britain's cultural calamity is real, thanks to Brexit – yet the taxpayer is being asked to cough up £120m for bread and circuses.

“The strength of feeling on this, regardless of how people voted in the referendum, is undeniable. People aren't focused on Brexit and celebrating it – they want their NHS working properly and for the government to put the recovery first.
"I hope people will support my call to cancel the festival, regardless of how they voted in the referendum, and for the money to be redirected to a Covid-19 recovery fund.”
The Festival UK 2022 website promises "10 open, original, optimistic, large-scale and extraordinary acts of public engagement that will showcase the UK's creativity and innovation to the world".