The European Movement UK is delighted to announce that, following an all-member ballot, Mike Galsworthy has been elected as the new Chair. He succeeds Lord Andrew Adonis.
Interim Chair of the European Movement, Molly Scott Cato, said:
“Congratulations to Mike on his election as chair of the European Movement and commiserations to the two excellent runners-up, Patience and Tom. We are lucky to have had such a wealth of talent running for our Chair position.
“Mike laid out an ambitious plan to accelerate the growth of the European Movement, and I am excited to see where he takes our campaign. I know his enthusiasm and commitment to our Step by Step to rejoin strategy will help solidify our established and growing movement.
“With a new chair and the support from our members, Presidents and staff, I look forward to seeing our movement go from strength to strength as we enter a critical stage in the Battle for the Soul of our Country.
"As we enter this new chapter, there has never been a better time to join the European Movement. Now, more than ever, our British values need reclaiming. Brexit still risks forever and fundamentally changing the direction and character of our country for the worse.
“The European Movement is the only organisation with the courage to expose the calamity of Brexit and win the Battle for the Soul of our Country.”
Incoming Chair of the European Movement, Mike Galsworthy, said:
"I want to thank all the members, all the EM staff, the National Council, the Steering Committee, European Movement in Scotland, Wales for Europe and all the local and regional groups that helped make this huge event what it was. And I want to thank Tom Brake and Patience Wheatcroft, superb colleagues and candidates that they are, for the ideas and energy that they have brought in. As I have said repeatedly, I hugely value their talent and I want to find a way to bring them in to help me, and all of us, take on this huge task before us.
“The European Movement is unique in its heritage and unique in its federated structure that sits at the heart of a wider pro-European community. EM must be the flagship in a fleet of pro-European campaigns and communities on a great mission together to bring us home to our rightful place in our own European Union. We know the wind is in our sails now. We must vanquish the dire politics of this moment in our history and work with communities all over the country to, step-by-step, recover that better future for ourselves, our children and our world. It is about identity, opportunity and responsibility.
“I have so many ambitions for our community. We are an incredible community with so much more to give. And I will be there with you - accessible to you all as we take this on together. It will be hard work, but we are veterans already and we know how to campaign. We run on passion and we have the grit. So now let us build, build, build. Let us get to work.”
The other candidates were:
- Tom Brake (Director of Unlock Democracy, former Liberal Democrat MP and Foreign Affairs and Brexit Spokesperson)
- Baroness Patience Wheatcroft (Former Editor-in-Chief of The Wall Street Journal Europe and Editor of The Sunday Telegraph, and crossbench peer)