On the morning after the vote on 23rd June to leave the European Union I was both stunned and distraught. So were many others in and around Cambridge. I knew it was theoretically possible that we would lose the vote, but deep down I didn't really believe it would happen. That was despite criss-crossing the East of England for months and realising that in most places there was nothing like the enthusiasm for Remain that I found in Cambridge.

Now, just over three months later, as newspapers crow that everything's fine, I am even more certain that the country is on course for a dreadful and unnecessary self-inflicted wound.

Every part of politics, business and public life is now dominated by Brexit – to the exclusion of the pressing everyday problems that face so many people. Our universities and research communities are awash with stories of key people from other countries turning down jobs, of research collaborations where we are no longer welcome as partners.

Over 9,000 EU citizens live and work in and around Cambridge – many tell me that suddenly they question whether they are really welcome here. We have seen vile fly-posting, initially in Huntingdon, but sadly now in Cambridge too – it is as if the racists have been given permission by Brexit to frighten and intimidate.

Almost every business I visit in Cambridge tells me that they need people from the European Union, not just because of the key skills they often bring, but because they can't find the right people locally.

Just last Friday, in two visits that morning, I heard of architects worrying about the uncertainty about future design standards as we pull away from the common EU approach, and then  a high-quality manufacturer worrying about the problems they will face as they move components and finished goods between plants in Cambridge and their other European sites.

Every day I hear more examples of the practical problems that we will face. Two weeks ago I organised an event in Cambridge to discuss the future of environmental protection – as I said, summing up, I doubt many voted to leave the European Union to weaken protection for birds, for bees, and for clean beaches – yet all of that is now at risk.

The Prime Minister promises that all EU law will be incorporated into UK law, but from that day on, every piece of that will be under threat from a Conservative government that shows little understanding of why we needed those protections in the first place.

And, of course, we cease to have any influence over the rest of Europe – we go from leading the fight for environmental protection to insular also-rans.

We live in a very divided country, in a world that looks much less stable than it has for many years. In Cambridge, we voted overwhelmingly to stay in the European Union. As your representative in Parliament, I will do everything in my power to steer the country away from the foolish, dangerous path we have embarked upon.