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As the UK gears up for the upcoming general election on 4th July, European Movement UK is urging voters to demand clarity from political candidates on their stance regarding the UK's relationship with the European Union.

Brexit, one of the most contentious issues of our time, continues to cast a long shadow over our country's future, impacting crucial areas such as economic growth, climate change, defence, immigration, and staffing in the NHS.

European Movement UK has launched a tool that enables voters to easily identify their local candidates and send them a message, requesting their commitment to the pledges outlined in The Manifesto on Europe. The goal is to ensure that all 4,515 candidates standing across the UK hear from European Movement members and supporters, underscoring the public's unwavering concern and interest in the issues caused by Brexit.

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Chair of European Movement UK, Dr Mike Galsworthy, tells Jeremy Vine that the Brexit "experiment" has failed.

Listen here.

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Moderate pro-EU parties have won around two-thirds of the seats in the European Parliament, according to provisional results.

The far-right has made gains and this is causing justified concern. But the two far-right groups will have less than a fifth of the seats. And far-right MEPs have a long record of grandstanding and squabbling instead of putting in hard work to represent voters. Extremists have been present in the Parliament for many decades. They have never driven its agenda and they won't now.

The European Parliament matters. It will continue to perform effectively its crucial work of amending and passing EU laws, in agreement with national Ministers sitting in the Council.

Before the new Parliament gets down to its day-to-day legislative work, it must approve the appointment of the European Commission President for the next five years, by an overall majority of at least 361 MEPs out of 720.

After that, the Parliament will hold tough hearings with each nominee Commissioner. Then the new Commission, as a whole, will need endorsement in a parliamentary vote before it can take office. This is European democracy in action.

Everyone in the UK will still be affected by the European Parliament’s decisions, on the economy, trade, climate change and more. But we no longer have a voice. Brexit unseated our MEPs and disenfranchised UK voters, as well as hobbling our economy.

In France, Italy, Germany and elsewhere, even far-right parties no longer dare say they want their countries to leave the EU. Because they know voters have seen the mess made by Brexit.

The antics of Nigel Farage’s UKIP were embarrassing. But many other former UK MEPs were renowned both for promoting British and European values and for mastering detail. So losing them also weakened the European Parliament and the EU.

European Movement UK aims to put the UK back at the centre of Europe, with UK MEPs in the European Parliament, a UK Commissioner and UK Ministers around the Council table. That will take time - but it will happen.

Meanwhile, we will have a new government in a few weeks. In line with our Manifesto on Europe, European Movement UK will be calling on it to build bridges rapidly with the rest of Europe, including with the newly-elected European Parliament.

European Movement UK has just launched the Manifesto on Europe - our list of key demands for the next government to address the catastrophic damage of Brexit and rebuild ties with Europe.

This manifesto is a crucial lobbying tool for our movement over the next 29 days. The headline is that we want all candidates to commit to improving our relationship with the EU.

It also includes detailed policy asks with practical steps - like carrying out an honest assessment of Brexit’s impact, rejoining the Erasmus+ programme, and making sure that our rights and standards remain in step with our EU neighbours.

We will use it to challenge the Brexit silence and pressure candidates to tell us where they really stand on key issues related to the EU. Take a look and help us spread the message.

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Just-released new polling shows that 6 in 10 voters want a proper debate on Europe as part of the general election campaign.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the sentiment is strongest among younger voters. Asked whether they think the UK's relationship with the EU is an important topic during the General Election campaign, 65% of people aged 25-34 said yes - while the overall figure for the under-40s was 62%.

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President Lord Heseltine reacted to our exclusive polling which found "six in 10 voters saying Brexit and Britain’s relationship with Brussels should be a main election issue".

In i News he said:

“The state of our economy, defence and environment, the need to level up our society, control immigration and restore Britain’s standing in the world. None of these issues can be honestly addressed in isolation from our relationship with Europe. Yet Europe is the no-go area,” Michael Heseltine said.

Read here.

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Following a poll of over 1,200 voters by European Movement UK, our Chair, Dr Mike Galsworthy, and President of Young European Movement UK, Cecilia Jastrzembska spoke to The Independent about the 2024 General Election 'being “one of the most dishonest” in history because the main parties will not discuss Britain’s relationship with the European Union.'

Read the piece in full, here.

[Image: Shutterstock]

Chair of European Movement UK, Dr Mike Galsworthy, was interviewed on LBC during the 2024 General Election. Mike urged the major parties to recognise the 'woes of Brexit' in their election campaigns. 

Watch the footage here.

[Image: Shutterstock]