Hundreds of grassroots volunteers from all over the UK will come together this Saturday (27 January) to highlight the threat that a hard and destructive Brexit poses to the National Health Service.
With the NHS in crisis, campaigners from the European Movement UK and its affiliated partner, Healthier IN the EU; Open Britain; and Best for Britain will hold street stalls, distribute tens of thousands of leaflets and highlight the threat Brexit poses to health services.
2018 will be the pivotal year in the future of Britain’s relations with Europe and the country’s three biggest pro-European grassroots campaigning organisations are coming together to warn of the direct danger Brexit poses to the NHS.
With the Nuclear Safeguards Bill currently going through Parliament, the European Movement UK, alongside Healthier IN the EU, is highlighting how plans to take Britain out of the European Atomic Energy Community – Euratom – could threaten vital cancer treatments.
James MacCleary, Campaigns Director, European Movement UK, commented:
“Euratom membership is crucial for cancer treatments in the UK. It is a scandal and disgrace that the government is putting these treatments at risk because of Brexit. Euratom wasn't discussed during the referendum campaign, no one voted to leave it and certainly no one voted for delays to cancer treatment.”
Dr Rob Davidson, CEO, Healthier IN the EU, said:
“We could stay in the Euratom treaty but the government is unprepared and flying blind. This is why the people need to hold our MPs to account and why the people need to take control of Brexit. The government is making a mess of Brexit and our NHS and patients will be the ones who suffer.”
Open Britain will be delivering a leaflet to 100,000 households which focusses on the damage Brexit is doing to NHS recruitment.
James McGrory, Executive Director, Open Britain, stated:
“Brexit is now the biggest threat to the future of the NHS and, by driving key staff away, it is already doing huge damage in hospitals and GPs’ surgeries up and down the land. The threat of a hard Brexit to our NHS needs to be exposed and then stopped.”
Eloise Todd, CEO, Best for Britain, said:
“Brexit poses substantial threats to NHS staff levels, funding and drug treatment. This should send a shiver down the spine of everyone and this is why we are all campaigning to stop Brexit.
“I worry that the NHS could be opened up to privatisation from foreign firms without any fresh safeguards to replicate EU competition law. The NHS as we know could be at risk.”
Find your local action day event here.
Read our Euratom FAQ Factsheet here.
Sign and share our petition here.