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A no deal Brexit will happen if the UK fails to agree a trade deal with the EU prior to the end of the exit transition period. This is currently scheduled for 31st December 2020. The transition period can only be extended if the UK requests more time for negotiations before 30th June 2020. If we have no trade deal in place with the EU by the end of transition, on 1st January 2021 we will switch to operating on World Trade Organisation terms with the EU. This means the introduction of tariffs and non-tariff barriers, e.g. regulations for goods and services.

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Leading scientists have written an open letter to Boris Johnson outlining the detrimental impact that a short Brexit transition would have on scientific research. They call for the Government to “take whatever time is needed to negotiate a productive future relationship with the EU, including UK research and the ERA.”

Read the full letter below.

OPEN LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER FROM LEADING RESEARCH SCIENTISTS IN THE UK

Dear Prime Minister,

Impact on Science Research of Brexit Transition Termination

The response to Covid-19 has shown how international collaboration has been essential for rapid progress in understanding the disease. No single nation has the expertise or innovative pipeline and power to characterize the virus, develop a vaccine for it and distribute that vaccine globally.

The huge scientific problems facing globally inter-connected economies, ranging from climate change to artificial intelligence, require shared expertise and research power. There is a wonderful vehicle for galvanizing and funding such collaborative research and innovation, the European Research Area.

The UK played a major role in the creation of the ERA and defining its ways of working and has led many of its most significant research efforts. But our involvement is now in jeopardy with the prospect of a No-Deal Brexit.

We believe that the Government should take whatever time is needed to negotiate a productive future relationship with the EU, including UK research and the ERA. This can only benefit both parties and is manifestly in the long-term interest of the UK and all its citizens. Covid-19 has inflicted a severe setback to our economy and to future prospects of our youth.

Recovery from such a setback will require a strong research and innovation base and a NoDeal Brexit would severely damage it. It would erode the attractiveness of our universities to talent from around the globe and the attractiveness of the UK as a location for leading science and technology businesses, at precisely a time when those goals are under threat due to the pandemic.

We believe a No-Deal Brexit will cause unnecessary and possibly long-term damage because of an arbitrary timeline set before the pandemic.

Yours faithfully,

• Venki Ramakrishan, Nobel Prize for Chemistry 2000, President of the Royal Society
• Sir Paul Nurse, Nobel Laureate, Physiology or Medicine 2001
• Martin Rees FRS, Baron Rees of Ludlow
• Niall FitzGerald KBE, Chairman – Leverhulme Trust
• Professor Daniel Anthony, University of Oxford
• Professor Dorothy Bishop, University of Oxford
• Professor Edward Bullmore, University of Cambridge
• Professor Roger Crisp, University of Oxford
• Professor Annette Dolphin, University College London,
• Professor Dame Athene Donald DBE FRS, University of Cambridge
• Professor Barry Everitt FRS, University of Cambridge
• Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith FRS, University of Cambridge
• Professor Christine Holt FRS, University of Cambridge
• Professor Charles Hulme FBA, University of Oxford
• Professor Roger Lemon, University College London
• Professor Stafford Lightman, University of Bristol
• Dr Alice Prochaska, Former Principal and Honorary Fellow Somerville College, Oxford
• Professor Wolfram Schultz, University of Cambridge
• Professor Maggie Snowling CBE, University of Oxford
• Professor David Spiegelhalter OBE FRS, University of Cambridge
• Professor William Whyte, St John’s College, Oxford

Want to get involved in our campaign to extend the transition?

Chip into our campaign:

Donate 

Sign the petition:

Sign the Petition

We know that things are challenging for many right now. Some of us are working on the frontline in hospitals and shops. Some of us are trying to balance working from home with homeschooling our children.

Many of us are missing family and friends.

In these difficult times, it's easy to feel isolated.

Here at the European Movement, we’ve been so inspired by the ways that communities have been coming together through this crisis. We may be stuck at home, but our activism continues!

This National Volunteer Week, here are three things that you can do (from your sofa!) to get involved in our newest campaign calling on the government to extend the transition period in order to focus on COVID-19:

1) Retweet this video message from Michael Heseltine 

Our President Michael Heseltine has recorded a powerful video message about the need to extend the transition period in the national interest. 

Share the video to amplify his message and help us grow our community!

2) Sign (and share!) the Petition

Our petition telling Boris Johnson to pause the transition period in order to focus on protecting our NHS has generated over 58,000 signatures!

Help us keep the momentum going. If you haven’t already signed, add your name today:

Already signed? Share the petition on social media to help us reach 100,000 signatures:

3) Write to your MP

Writing to your MP is one of the best ways to ensure that your voice is heard. Letters from constituents help MPs understand how people in their constituency feel about an issue, and help inform policy decisions.

We've created a simple tool to help you write to your MP - it only takes two minutes!

4) Chip in to the Crowdfunder

Thank you to everyone who has chipped in to our crowdfunder so far. With your help, we’ve managed to raise over £58,000!

Last year, European Movement activists were instrumental in stopping a No Deal Brexit. This time, the stakes are even higher. But we’ve won this fight once - we can do it again. 

Can you chip in to help our activists demand that the government extend the Brexit transition period in order to stop a catastrophic No Deal Brexit?

On behalf of the entire European Movement team, thank you.

In yesterday’s Independent, European Movement President Lord Michael Heseltine wrote a powerful piece supporting our campaign to extend the transition period in the national interest. He said: 

When everyone is hoping for certainty about a time when the disease will be under control, it is unforgivable for the government to add another uncertainty which it could control. At a time when so many are struggling, the government must not add a cliff-edge no-deal crisis to this hardship, and compound the economic turmoil now facing the country.

You can read the full article here:

Last week, the third round of trade negotiations ended with UK Chief Negotiator David Frost admitting that there had been "very little progress towards agreement on the most significant outstanding issues between us". 

There are now only 45 days remaining for the EU and UK to agree to an extension. Otherwise, we risk crashing out without a deal - which would be catastrophic for our economy and our NHS. 

If you agree with Lord Heseltine that the government should put country before ideology and extend the transition period, please consider making a donation today:

Thank you for your support!

During these challenging times, it is more important than ever to stay connected. That's why this week, we hosted our second Twitter Chat! This time, we talked about our newest campaign to extend the transition period in order to avoid a catastrophic No Deal Brexit.

We started off with a simple poll - and as you can see, the results were pretty clear!

POLL: In the context of #Covid19 do you think that the government should extend the transition? #BrexitWatch

— European Movement UK (@euromove) May 11, 2020

Next, we asked how a No Deal Brexit would impact your industry. We got some very interesting replies, with everyone from doctors to bakers highlighting the difficulties that would arise if we crash out without a trade agreement in place. 

Working in the NHS, we would be especially affected by the loss of EU workforce, the inability to buy medications, most of which are EU imports, ant the inability to take part in joint purchasing schemes. That is of course in addition to the economic impact and loss of goodwill

— PeterB #FBPE (@peterdavidburke) May 11, 2020

We run a cakery and at least half our orders are for free- from cakes, specifically, gluten free. We rely on quality ingredients; chocolate, almonds, maize flour. No deal means no food and the Trump trade deal means you can’t get food of acceptable quality.

— Juliet Bramfitt (@BramfittJuliet) May 11, 2020

Annette asked about the best way to lobby the government to agree to an extension as the end of June draws nearer. 

Hi Anette! Great #BrexitWatch Question.

We're campaigning to do just that. You can join us by:

📝Sign the petition: https://t.co/qJ3hZjFOab

✍️Write to your MP: https://t.co/4PnlpkpBKI

✊Chip in to the crowdfunder: https://t.co/8KNmUtvZDM https://t.co/oOAt9XVxAk

— European Movement UK (@euromove) May 11, 2020

Friederike asked a great question about reaching people outside of our bubble and welcoming new people into our movement: 

Great question! The best activism starts in your own community - but during this challenging time, our advocacy has had to move online. However, you can still contact local businesses, write to your local paper, and even post in local facebook groups! 💪 https://t.co/D4lIWZ3N2r

— European Movement UK (@euromove) May 11, 2020

We then asked our Chair, Former Health Secretary Stephen Dorrell what the main impact of a No Deal Brexit would be on the NHS:

Supply of equipment and medicines is already disrupted; staff recruitment from EU countries is already down; research funding is already reduced. Why make it worse? Brexit has happened; we don't argue (today) to reverse it. Simply to avoid unnecessary further risks. https://t.co/xH1uFPCWMa

— Stephen Dorrell 🔸 (@stephen_dorrell) May 11, 2020

We ended the chat with a fun twitter poll about just how bad a No Deal Brexit would be. You heard it here first, folks: a No Deal Brexit would be worse than Marmite!

#BrexitWatch POLL: how bad would No Deal Brexit be?

Worse than:

— European Movement UK (@euromove) May 11, 2020

Last night, we were thrilled to host the European Movement’s first virtual Euro Cafe! The event was a great success, with dozens of people logging on to hear from representatives of European Movement UK, Settled, and the Eastern European Forum.

Please find below some of the key details from the event.

European Movement UK

We heard from Hugo Mann, CEO of European Movement UK, who talked briefly about the history of European Movement, our time as part of the People's Vote Campaign, and about our plans for the future.

Euro Cafe Initiative

We heard from Hazel, one of our amazing activists who started the Euro Cafe initiative.

Euro Cafe is a grassroots initiative set up to provide a space for both EU27 nationals and pro-Europeans to find support, information, and chat. There have been dozens of Cafes in communities across the UK, organised by local grassroots groups. If you would like to get involved and set up one in your local community, visit www.eurocafe.uk or e-mail [email protected].

Settled

Settled are a charity that is dedicated to reaching out to EU27 nationals who are at risk of losing permission to reside in the UK due to Brexit. They are accredited to provide advice about the application for settled status, and have a network of volunteers, and accredited advisors, across the country.

You can find out more information about Settled on www.settled.org.uk, and can contact them on [email protected]

Eastern European Forum

Finally, we were also joined by Nishan of the Eastern European Forum, which brings together several different initiatives aimed at supporting the Eastern European community. He spoke briefly about the need to engage with hard to reach demographics within society. Currently, the Eastern European Forum is continuing with initiatives including voter registration, engaging with hard to reach communities such as the Roma community, letting people know what their rights are.

We are looking forward to working with the Eastern European Forum on several exciting projects, including a Festival celebrating all Europeans as soon as it is deemed safe to do so. 

Following the success of this call we aim to host other virtual Euro Cafes in other regions, alongside other virtual events in lieu of physical events while we cannot meet in person during the lockdown. 

- Scott Daniells

Events Manager, European Movement UK

The outbreak of COVID-19 has reminded us that issues that impact humanity do not have borders. This pandemic is evidence that an experience in one country can rapidly affect the lives, economics and social fabrics of every other community in the world, and that learning from and coordinating with other countries is the only logical path towards building a global community.

The European Movement is respecting official advice and suspending in-person activities in response to the Coronavirus outbreak. But we must continue to ensure that the future we have been fighting for over the past 70 years is upheld. In a post-Brexit world, our values are at risk, from the undermining of human rights to compromising environmental standards. Together we are advocating for European values, standards and rights to be maintained in the UK, and there is much that we can still do to achieve that goal.

Here are three ways we're campaigning in the coronavirus outbreak:

1. We're pushing to extend the transition period. 

There is a developing consensus, both in the UK and within the EU, that the transition period needs to be extended. This doesn't mean revisiting the fact that we have (regrettably) left the EU. What it does mean is that it is logical to be particularly mindful of our interests in the context of unprecedented global upheaval. To insist that the transition period must end on 31st December 2020, without ensuring that agreements around medical supplies are safeguarded or considering the damning economic prospects of leaving with no future relationship agreed while facing the long-term economic impact of a global pandemic would be an act of pig-headed folly. 

It would prioritise ideology over the actual needs of the British people.

Join us by signing this petition: 

2. We're digitally organising

At a time when barriers are going up all over the world and national leaders, including our own, are backing away from international commitments, we're working even harder to defend the rights of EU citizens in the UK, as well as UK citizens living in the EU.

We're developing a series of virtual organising initiatives that are already underway, such as Twitter chats and virtual Euro cafes. We'll use our resources to continue our work to convene and inform EU citizens living in the UK, working closely with our allies like the 3million and the youth of the country whose interests are most affected.

Watch this space for official online events and ways to get involved!

3. We're holding the government to account

While attention is focussed on the public health emergency, we need to be vigilant in monitoring Brexit developments via our BrexitWatch initiative. Behind the cover of the current crisis, the government is pursuing an extreme and isolationist version of Brexit. It is refusing to publish the impact assessments for its policy, and it is unable to devote the resources necessary to ensure that it minimises the adverse impacts for British people. 

Decisions will be made over the next few months to change supply chains and employment patterns to reflect a world where Britain is no longer part of the European Single Market. For the first time since 1945, we have an openly protectionist government. Brexit-Watch will assemble the evidence of the damage that their policies are inflicting on an economy which is already weakened by Covid-19.

The UK may have now left the European Union, but the European Movement’s work is far from over. That’s why this week, I officially announced that I have joined the European Movement National Council.

The ‘Australia-style’ being touted by Boris Johnson is really a No Deal Brexit in disguise.

With the prime minister recklessly threatening to walk away from trade negotiations if an agreement is not reached by June, and refusing to extend the transition period even when faced with a global pandemic, it has never been more important to hold this government to account.

The European Movement is fighting tooth and nail to maintain the closest possible relationship with our European partners and prevent Boris Johnson from wreaking havoc on our economy, our NHS, and our environment through a disastrous No Deal Brexit. 

When Winston Churchill founded the European Movement in 1949, he described the aim of the organisation as “to re-create the European Family, or as much of it as we can, and provide it with a structure under which it can dwell in peace, in safety and in freedom”.

The task ahead of us is enormous. However, I firmly believe that we can still achieve Churchill’s vision by striving together for our common interests and values, and I look forward to working with the European Movement to accomplish those aims.

Kind Regards, 

Dominic Grieve