At our AGM on 28 November, the Right Honourable Stephen Dorrell announced his decision to step down as Chair after 4 years.

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While we have rightly focussed on the massive problems that a no-deal outcome to the UK-EU negotiations would create, it's perfectly possible that Johnson's strategy is to get a minimalist deal and hope that everyone then heaves a sigh of relief that he has got some kind of deal.

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Despite the restrictions caused by COVID-19, people across the UK have come together once again to say #No2NoDeal at the first virtual action day ever. Yesterday, the people sent a message to the government. They emphatically said NO to the worst-case scenario of a catastrophic No Deal.  

From virtual meetings with MPs taking place in England, Scotland and Wales to a virtual rally there were loads of ways that people made their voices heard. People demanded that we achieve a good deal with our closest trading partners. 

• MPs and influencers joined together for the virtual No 2 No Deal rally, watched by over 10,000 people. 
• Thousands of people made their voices heard on social media and said #No2NoDEAL.   
• 100,000 people have signed the #No2NoDeal petition and many more have written to their MP 
• Over 4000 signed up to take part in the Online Lobby, to meet their MP. Virtual Meetings with MPs will take taking place over the coming weeks but today they took place with all the major party’s and more MPs in England, Scotland, and Wales 

Top quotes from the Virtual Rally: 

Ian Murray MP, Labour Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland:

“If you look at the consequences that no deal would have, or even a bad deal would have on our economy - layer on top of that the problems that we're going to have in the worldwide economy with COVID and what the post-COVID recovery has to look like - the last thing we need is all that uncertainty. All that economic downturn, all the jobs that will be lost, all the growth that will be lost by going down the route of a no deal.” 

Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Labour MP for Streatham: 

“At a time of economic recession, mass redundancy and public health crisis, this is an incredibly self-destructive thing to do. It will leave my constituents in Streatham and people across the UK much worse off - with food prices already creeping higher and the government refusing point-blank to extend the transition period. A worst-case scenario no deal Brexit could see shortages of food, medicine and fuel, as well as increased costs for everyday goods. A Government that actually cared wouldn't risk this during an ongoing pandemic, a jobs crisis and the worst recession in history. Don't dig yourself out of a hole by digging even deeper.” 

Lord Michael Heseltine, former Deputy Prime Minister: 

“Don’t give in, don’t give up. Use whatever peaceful vehicles are available. Tell your MP that it is their duty to our country to try and secure a rational steppingstone into the new post Brexit world, and that means avoiding by all account a No Deal Brexit”

Caroline Lucas, Green MP: 

“That “good outcome” means we're about to become the only major economy on earth with no trade deal with any of our neighbors within a 2000-mile radius. And yet in the middle of a deadly pandemic during the worst recession in 300 years, ours is a government that has refused to extend the transition.” 

Sajjad Karim, Conservative MEP 2004 - 2019: 

“I have a message for Prime Minister, Boris Johnson. Get a Deal. You promised you had one, deliver it, and avoid the chaos - say no to No Deal.”

Stephen Farry MP, Deputy Leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland: 

“The Government's claims to be doing so to protect the Good Friday Agreement are risible, and represent a significant and deliberate distortion of what that agreement represents” 

Shaffaq Mohammed, Former Lib Dem MEP: 

“A No Deal Brexit will have an impact on the import and export of medicines, and radioactive isotopes for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Let’s be honest: the middle of a pandemic is no time to disrupt our medical supply chains. 

Vaughan Gething, Minister for Health at the Welsh Government:  

“No Deal is not just unavoidable, it is not inevitable, it is a choice. The United Kingdom government could choose to take No Deal away and the additional threat that it would provide.” 

Polly Toynbee, Guardian columnist and former BBC editor: 

“They said this was going to be the easiest deal on earth, and this is the chaos we got instead.” 

Jenny Gilruth, Minister for Europe and International Government at the Scottish Government: 

“Going ahead with Brexit at the end of this year whilst the economy is reeling from COVID is simply reckless.” 

“A No Deal coinciding with Covid-19 would be catastrophic, and we must do all that we can to avoid it.” 

Gavin Esler, Author and Chancellor of the University of Kent: 

“Project fear is now Project here, it’s right now and it's with us. So, we are saying that No Deal, which no one ever voted for, no one was ever consulted about, is absolutely not acceptable. 

Stephen Dorrell, ex-cabinet minister says we are at risk of irreparable damage to the international reputation of our country

Commenting on the EU Commission launching legal action against the UK over the Internal Market Bill, European Movement CEO, Anna Bird said: 

“All opposition party leaders, every living ex-Prime Minister, the government’s own legal advisers and now the EU have come out against the government's threat to renege on parts of the Withdrawal Agreement. This reckless and irresponsible move is an unnecessary distraction at a time when all efforts should be focused on getting a deal with our closest trading partners. 

“It is time for the government to face facts and admit that their strongarm negotiation tactics are not working.  As the deadline for negotiating a deal looms, we need to be constructive, not confrontational, with the EU if we are to avoid a catastrophic No Deal scenario.” 

European Movement Chair Stephen Dorrell, said: 

“The country that gave Magna Carta to the world is taken to court for breach of international law in the same week that the President of US refuses to guarantee he will respect the US election result.  

“If the government insists on this unprecedented disregard for the rule of law, it will irreparably damage the international reputation of our country. If we can’t be trusted at our word, we will scupper our hopes of securing a positive future relationship with the EU and trade deals with countries around the world negotiations will become increasingly difficult.

“The European Movement calls on the government to put an end to the gamesmanship and to focus seriously on getting a deal, before it’s too late.” 

European Movement Vice-Chair Andrew Adonis said:

"The EU’s decision today to issue legal proceedings against the UK for its breach of international law signals the breakdown of Britain’s relations with Europe. Even if there is now a barebones deal of some kind to avoid no deal, trust has gone as long as Johnson and Cummings remain."

"Remember Theresa May saying we were replacing membership of the EU with a ‘deep and special partnership’?  Well it just ended up in the divorce courts."

Notes to press

For further information contact Carys Barry on 07507994343 or [email protected] 

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European Movement UK has today launched a massive #No2NoDeal online lobbying campaign and day of action aimed at highlighting the risks of, and preventing, a No Deal Brexit at the end of the year.

Taking place on Thursday 08 October 2020, the day will see thousands of activists, in constituencies across the UK, hold virtual meetings with their MPs to raise their concerns about the effects that a No Deal Brexit could have on communities, local businesses, and the NHS.

Says Hugo Mann, Campaigns Director of European Movement UK:

“With 100 days until the end of the transition period, time is running out to avoid a catastrophic No Deal Brexit. At this moment of national crisis, we should be thinking about protecting our NHS, our communities, and jobs. Instead, Boris Johnson is threatening to put party politics ahead of the national interest in the midst of a global pandemic.

That is why we are calling on people from every town and city to join us on 08 October to say #No2NoDeal. This is a historic moment for the European Movement, and that is why we are throwing everything at it. Let’s make this the moment that we stood together and stopped No Deal – once and for all.”

The day of action will culminate in a massive online rally at 7pm where cross-party MPs, celebrities, and grassroots activists will take to their webcams and call on the UK government to take No Deal off the table – for good.

The rally follows a similar event in June which saw over 10,000 people tune in to hear speakers from 8 political parties, and the Welsh and Northern Irish parliaments, speak about how preventing a No Deal Brexit will protect both our NHS and the UK’s reputation around the world.

More information about the lobbying campaign, the virtual rally, and the day of action can be found at www.actionday.uk.

In today's Daily Telegraph President of European Movement UK and former Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Michael Heseltine, wrote a powerful piece on the need to end the all uncertainty for British business to thrive post-Brexit.

I know something of the rhetoric of politics but I know too what persuades business people to invest. As the nation’s wealth creators hear proclamations about “Our Glorious Future” they know that in six weeks’ time – October 31 – we either have a deal clarifying our trading arrangements with Europe or, two months later, we are left with WTO terms.

Battle hardened by their experiences of both Brexit and Covid they will want certainty before committing their threatened cash. They know the vultures are flying in ever decreasing circles.

The piece also described the need to increase standards in order to succeed in trade negotiations, and not to tear them up in order to have an easy deal.

We are delighted to announce that we have appointed Anna Bird as the next Chief Executive of the European Movement. Anna, a committed and passionate pro-European, is tasked with growing the movement and focusing the campaign effort to uphold the values, rights and access the UK currently shares with members of the European Union. The appointment comes at a critical time for the organisation, with a No Deal Brexit well and truly back on the cards. 

With a career spent in campaigning organisations in the charity sector, Bird’s appointment will bring a fresh, civil society perspective to the European Movement.

Anna joins the European Movement from Scope, where as an Executive Director she transformed the charity’s influence and reputation in Westminster and secured important wins for disabled people’s employment. She was previously a senior leader at the Fawcett Society, campaigning for women’s equality, and at Mind, the mental health charity.

Anna Bird, newly appointed CEO of the European Movement UK said:

 “I’m delighted to be appointed to the role. The European Movement is built on the passion and commitment of thousands of activists up and down the country, its local groups and its impressive network of supporters both inside and beyond Westminster. As Chief Executive of the European Movement I want to build the strength of this community -   its size, its diversity and its influence - and to make sure our work truly connects with all those across the country who are or will be affected by Brexit. .”

Stephen Dorrell, Chair of the European Movement UK said:

“Anna Bird is joining the European Movement at a critical time for the organization and for our country. Despite repeated assurances by ministers that our relationship with other European countries would not be disrupted by Brexit, and that Britain could “have its cake and eat it”, it is becoming clearer by the day that minsters plan to put the livelihoods of millions of British people at further risk at the end of this year, just at the time when our economy will be struggling to recover from Coronavirus.

The European Movement brings together people from all political parties and none, to express their opposition to this reckless and irresponsible policy and to campaign for full engagement with our neighbours in Europe who share our interests and our values. We are delighted that Anna will be joining us at such a critical time to develop our capacity to ensure those people are seen and heard”.

Over the weekend a document containing the government’s own predictions of the worst case of a No Deal Brexit coinciding with the second wave of coronavirus was leaked. Here are just some of the catastrophic consequences that the government predicts:

• A “Systemic economic crisis” creating mass unemployment, price increases, and shortages. They predict that this will hit the poorest the hardest.
• Blockages at the border threatening supplies of food and fuel, and could even lead to water rationing and power cuts.
• Crucially during a second wave border queues could lead to medical shortages

The document predicts such an extensive list of possible horrors that we couldn’t list all of them here.

This leak comes just days after Michel Barnier announced that there is a high chance that the negotiations could end in a No Deal and as scientists warn of a second coronavirus wave. This report may outline the worst case, but as we hurtle towards a No Deal Brexit it cannot be denied that this is a very real possibility.

At the European Movement, we will be working to ensure that this government does the right thing, and puts the national interest before senseless ideology. A No Deal Brexit is not a viable option, especially in the current circumstances, and it is time that Boris Johnson’s government takes this risk seriously.

We have stopped a No Deal Brexit before, and this time we want to have an even bigger Movement behind us standing against the senseless self-harm of No Deal. Please join the movement, and be a part of stopping the threat of No Deal once and for all:

When we speak with one voice, we can defend our European values.