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Staffs4Europe(North) started in June just as the People’s Vote campaign took off. Nobody realised how much time it would take to fight for our place at the heart of Europe and for the future of our children.

North Staffordshire is a Brexit hot spot. The nickname Brexit Capital has put an otherwise ignored Stoke on Trent on the map. To say they were nervous of setting up street stalls was an understatement.

Our first big target was the Leek agricultural show (all those Brexit supporting farmers!) a month after our inauguration. To build their confidence, they held our first stall in Leek town centre. Despite competing with the World Cup, they exceeded expectations collecting signatures for the People's Vote petition and recruiting supporters who had thought they were lone voices in the wilderness. There were “Out means out” and “Don’t you lot understand democracy?” heckles but on the whole people were friendly regardless of their views on Brexit. Staff4Europe were greatly encouraged and learned a lot about the understanding and views of people genuinely interested in the future of our country.

On show day plenty of visitors, attracted by musicians, were willing to debate with them and they won over a couple of people to Remainer now. Their Brexitometer results suggested a definite swing to Remain.

Another big target was Stoke on Trent. Staff4Europe didn’t think they were ready for the challenge but took the plunge for the September National Action Day and were pleasantly surprised with the results. Local people are becoming more aware of what Brexit really means with some saying how duped they felt after the referendum. Most surprisingly some who still class themselves as Leave voters confessed they are not really bothered whether we Leave or Remain; they just want someone to listen to them. The Brexit at any price hecklers were there but in quiet voice and we got good publicity from the local press. If Stoke on Trent is the Brexit capital then it is still all to play for.

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From broken promises to curry house owners to a spike in hate crimes, there are plenty of Brexit concerns for minority communities.

Belonging to an ethnic minority in the UK encompasses a whole range of diverse experiences and issues. But whichever community you come from, the chances are you’ll have concerns about Brexit. Addressing these worries, and getting ethnic minority voices heard, is the driving force behind the new campaign Ethnic Minorities for a People’s Vote.

A number of Brexit-related issues have disproportionately affected ethnic minorities. One high-profile example is the broken promises to curry house owners during the referendum. They were regaled by Vote Leave’s “save our curry houses” campaign with pledges to increase work permits for non-EU migrant workers after Brexit. Current post-Brexit immigration plans, clamping down on low-skilled migration from anywhere, has betrayed their trust.

Meanwhile, the severe labour shortage in the curry industry continues. Discussions with industry leaders by People’s Vote shows that they think this crisis will never be prioritised, thanks to the constant focus on Brexit.

But the unfairness perceived in this “two-tier” immigration system between EU and non-EU migrants goes beyond this curry house crisis. It goes to matters of the heart: many African, Asian and Caribbean heritage people have expressed resentment at the apparent ease with which “white Europeans” could bring over spouses or family members from their countries of origin. By contrast, the minimum income threshold for British citizens to bring over a spouse from outside the EEA is £18,600. This has caused hardship and separation for tens of thousands of families.

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More than two years on from the referendum, the promises made during the campaign seem further away from ever. Remember the sunny uplands, the “easiest trade deal in history”, the £350m extra each week for the NHS? Brexit hasn’t happened yet – but the damage is already hurting us. Doctors, nurses, carers, scientists and academics are leaving, threatening the sustainability of our social care system and NHS. The economy has taken a hit; inflation is rising; and the weaker pound means holidays and imported food all cost more.

But Brexit isn’t inevitable. If enough MPs find the courage to stand up and do what is right we have a way out of this mess. Our letter, which you can download and print at home, is designed to be folded up like an old fashioned air-mail letter. In it, we call on MPs to back a People’s Vote, with an option to cancel Brexit, as an honourable way out of this mess.

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Lincolnshire European Movement has been taking their Brexitometer on a mini tour of Lincolnshire with some incredible results. 

Starting in Grantham, the birthplace of Margaret Thatcher, a key architect of the European Single Market, campaigners arrived early in the morning with a bit of trepidation. Lincolnshire EM had been told that the town was very hostile before the referendum and was a difficult place to campaign. Yet within 5 minutes of setting up our Brexitometer, they were receiving support for the People’s Vote. They did of course receive some forthright views in support of Brexit, but they were in the minority. Pretty much everyone was civil, and pretty much everyone agreed that the Government has not made a good job of Brexit and the support for a People’s Vote was strong.

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At the invitation of Sevenoaks & Swanley Together in Europe (SSTIE), Lord Adonis addressed local supporters of the UK remaining at the heart of the European Union.

Despite foul weather, a full house of almost two hundred Remainers and Leavers greeted Lord Adonis. The audience ranged from a large contingent of local school students though to pensioners, representing all walks of life across West Kent, united by their concern at Brexit.

West Kent MPs

Lord Adonis opened a fast paced and animated speech by talking of his personal connections to Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells. He spoke respectfully of the three MPs representing the constituencies covering Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells – Sir Michael Fallon, Tom Tugendhat and Greg Clark – then highlighted the decisive role that our representatives will have in the next months. Each had campaigned for remain during the referendum. Each fell-in behind the result despite understanding the damage it would cause, not least to their respective special-interests of the UK’s defence, foreign-affairs and businesses.
Lord Adonis implored the audience to write to, contact on social media, or arrange a meeting with our MPs, as it is absolutely critical we get across to them the strength of their constituents’ feelings on this epoch-shaping decision.

Lord Adonis addressing SSTIE, October 2018. Photo Rindy Bakker

The UK

Lord Adonis spoke of how he’s been continually travelling the country since the referendum, visiting all corners of the four nations. This was despite his having taken almost no part in the original referendum campaign. Out of this activity has come his book: Saving Britain: How We Must Change to Prosper in Europe, in which he highlights the need to address the underlying causes of the vote. He spoke amusingly of the amount of time he spends in TV and radio-studios opposite “Jacob” and “Nigel”, and ran through their evolving banter about The Middle Ages and German second-passports.

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The Friday before the Conservative Party Conference Charles Tannock, MEP, managed to fit a dinner with European Movement Wandsworth into his busy schedule.

EM Wandsworth were thrilled to hear him talk about his work in the European Parliament and at the same time sorry to realise that Britain may be leaving this successful pan-European co-operation if the Brexiteers get their way. Mr Tannock emphasised his worry about the intolerance that is spreading in public debate and the media.

After the dinner, Mr Tannock speaker tweeted: "I was pleased to speak tonight at a fund-raising event for euromove in Wandsworth & Merton, meeting members of the independent, cross-party organisation committed to keeping the UK in the EU, along with activists from other pro-European organisations in south-west London."

To find out more about European Movement Wandsworth, check out their website or their twitter page

For television viewers, the Labour conference Brexit highlight was perhaps the standing ovation for Keir Starmer's statement that nobody was taking "Remain" off the table when it comes to a public vote on the deal.

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The Ealing European Movement, along with other groups campaigning for a People’s Vote up and down the country, will be out in force on Saturday 29 September for the largest ever People’s Vote National Day of Action, with over 100 groups taking part across the UK.

Activists and supporters from the People’s Vote campaign will take to the streets in Ealing this Saturday, as well as across the rest of the UK, in order to demand their right to a People’s Vote on the final Brexit deal.

There will be over 100 local groups participating, with thousands of activists and supporters taking part, over 1 million leaflets ordered, and with street stalls due to be set up in towns and cities the length and breadth of the country, in areas that voted both Remain and Leave. In Ealing, the European Movement branch will be holding a street stall outside the entrance of the Ealing Broadway Shopping Centre in the middle of the day, talking to members of the public about the impacts of Brexit as well as handing out leaflets and gathering signatures for the People's Vote petition.

This People’s Vote National Day of Action follows on from the hugely successful People’s Vote Summer of Action, which saw mass rallies take place in Bristol, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Cambridge and Cardiff. This is all leading up to the People’s Vote March for the Future in London on October 20^th, which is expected to be the largest Brexit-related march so far, larger than the previous People’s Vote march which was attended by over 100,000 people.

Curtis Parfitt-Ford, communications officer of the Ealing European Movement, said "With a chaotic Brexit looming now more than ever with the failure of the UK government to come to an agreement with other Member States and the Commission, the choice we now face is simple. Risk a bad deal for the country, or push hard for a People's Vote on the final deal that we reach. This isn't about re-running the EU referendum - it's very much about securing our prosperity, and about letting the people have their say on whether the Brexit we end up getting is what they voted for in 2016 or not."

Ealing as a borough voted just over 60% in favour of remaining in the European Union in 2016.

/ends

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