The needs of the South West have been ignored in the face of Brexit disarray, South West Devon MP Gary Streeter has said.
The MP told an audience of leading business people that politicians have not been 'interested in anything else' apart from Brexit and won't be until it is delivered or concluded.
Sir Gary gave the stark statement at an event for the #BackTheSouthWest campaign on Thursday.
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The meeting, held in the shadow of Plymouth's bold statue Messenger at the Theatre Royal, is the latest in the #BackTheSouthWest campaign, which was set up by the Western Morning News and Pennon group in the wake of the 2016 EU referendum.
The Great South West All Party Parliamentary Group has been set up by MPs from across Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset to lobby for regional investment priorities.
Sir Gary said that it had taken the lead from the way the region had pulled together in the wake of the Dawlish rail line disaster of 2014.
He said: "That was the first time I felt the frustration in the region about the lack of investment and the first time of experiencing the region working together.
"The aim of the All Party Parliamentary group is that we are going to become a coherent conduit for the four counties as an interlocuter between the region and the government."
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The latest phase of the campaign comes as the north of the country steps up its own lobbying for regional investment.
This week, One North took over the front page of more than 30 local newspapers in a show of solidarity.
Sarah Heald, Director of Corporate Affairs & Investor Relations, Pennon Group plc, said that would-be Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Northern Powerhouse Minister Jake Berry were 'falling over themselves making commitments to the North.'
She said: "We need the same, we need our MPs to secure these same commitments for the South West. We have got every reason to be hopeful that we can do that and see what commitments we can get."
She admitted that the after three years, the #BackTheSouthWest campaign has not come as far as hoped.
She said: "We have made great progress but we are not where we want to be.
"If we were honest looking back, perhaps we should have recognised that this should have been a five year project. After the last growth Summit there was frustration in the business community, 300 businesses came forward and put their time and energy to it. Every day we are contributing to this region and we want to see the same commitment from Government.
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"That impatience we all feel is critical to the success and momentum of this campaign."
Since it launched, the campaign has secured support from business and helped raise the profile of a region.
Two South West Growth Summits were held, the first addressed by would-be Prime Minister Sajid Javid, then in his capacity as Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.
The shared demands of the business community for a better Government deal with the region were consolidated into the South West Growth Charter, which highlighted improved digital and transport connectivity as key Government ‘asks’.
Parliamentary debates were tabled; the ‘Great South West’ committee of business leaders was formed; a regional brand and vision for the future set out in black and white.
Ms Heald said that the South West's business case has to be political and led by the region's MPs and Local Enterprise Partnerships if it is to secure government investment.
Mark Duddridge, Chairman of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Enterprise Partnership said that all the LEPs had been working on their own Local Industrial Strategies with the aim of highlighting areas of the economy that need backing.
The LEPs will then come together to present its common goals to Jake Berry MP, who is in charge of local economic growth under his Ministry of Housing and the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy remit.
The plan is to secure funding in the Autumn statement.
Mr Duddridge said there was huge potential in the region, including for the creative and clean energy industries that were currently 'a missed economic opportunity'.
He said that too often the rural nature of the region means it misses out because it doesn't have the critical mass of larger urban areas.
"We are not going to win this argument by whinging. We are going to win by pointing out to government that the South West and its economy is a significant opportunity for them."
He said that it will be asking for Government funding so it can create the Great South West brand and make its business case in a structured way.
"We want to unlock some money to create structure and be able to communicate what the Great South West is for the Government and for private investors.
"I would worry if it's not in the Autumn statement," he said.
And Stuart Elford, chief executive of Devon Chamber of Commerce revealed that chambers from across the South West, including Bristol and Dorset had joined forces to create British Chambers of Commerce South West to unify the business voice across the region and representing 4,000 businesses and 250,000 employees.
He said: "We are fed up with the Midlands engine and Northern Powerhouse, what about the South West?
"The point of this is to put the region at the forefront of the local and economic landscape."
Why we #BackTheSouthWest