Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in London at the weekend to demand that the British government hold a final public vote on the terms of Brexit, among them dozens of Brits who had flown over from Spain.
On the second anniversary of the Brexit referendum, around 100,000 people marched on Parliament holding banners and waving EU flags to call for a ‘People’s Vote’ on the final deal.
Among them were British citizens living in Spain who travelled to the UK to support the cause.
See the full story and pics on the The Local
OVER 100,000 Brits and Europeans marched through their towns and cities in the UK yesterday (Saturday) calling for a ‘People’s Vote’ on the final Brexit deal – which remainers have been campaigning to include an option to stay in the European Union.
Among those who joined the main march in London were British expats in Spain who had travelled over specially, and the thousands of Spaniards who live in the UK capital, both of whom fear their ability to live, work, retire and receive healthcare in their countries may be threatened by the process.
Bremain in Spain, a Facebook-led campaign group headed up by Sue Wilson (pictured) took to the streets to fight for the rights of Brits in Europe and Europeans in the UK. She is shown here (centre, left) with María Luisa and Nacho Romero, Bremain members from Spain who live in the UK and also belong to the ‘flip-side’ sister group, Españoles en Reino Unido Surviving Brexit
Go to the Think Spain page for more info…
Bremain Council Member Elspeth Williams was invited to a People’s Vote thank you event for pro Remain activists. Here’s Elspeth’s story about her day in London and the event itself: “It’s not every day you’re invited to Westminster! So we were delighted when Bremain in Spain received an invitation from the #PeoplesVote campaign, Britain for Europe, and European Movement to attend a ‘Thank you’ event for activists on 5 June. I was lucky enough to be the only Council member available to make the trip, and I was really excited to be able to attend.
I travelled out of Perpignan Airport in France, since I live in Northern Catalonia about equidistant between Barcelona Airport and Perpignan, and I always find it particularly poignant to be leaving Perpignan on #StopBrexit business. When I arrived in London, I first stopped by to say ‘Hi’ to Steven Bray (see below). It’s always exhilarating to pay Steve a visit at his permanent SODEM installation outside Parliament, where he protests against Brexit on a daily basis. He’s always good for a chat on the latest developments, but constantly keeps an eye on passers-by as he waits to tackle MPs with a simple question: ‘How will Brexit benefit me?’ Needless to say, a good answer to this question is a rare thing.
It was also lovely to meet Anne Juliff (@patanna) at last – a young campaigner from @Valleys4EU. Other people gathered in advance of the event included Mark from @stratford4eu, Sally from @BathforEurope, and Polly (@RemainingKind) from @Hereford4EU.
We made our way into the Houses of Parliament early, since we had been warned that the security queue can be lengthy. Security measures are tight, of course, but the staff could not be friendlier or more welcoming. One security guard even asked another campaigner, ‘Do you think you’ll be able to stop it?’ No prizes for guessing the answer! The official dress code is ‘smart casual’. Jeans are OK – but preferably not trainers. T-shirts referring to Brexit had to be covered up or turned inside out, but EU stars were allowed, and Sally from Bath felt like a rebel wearing her fabulous beret!
Walking towards Committee Room 10 for our meeting, we had time to look around. The name ‘Palace’ of Westminster seemed apt, since the building is impressive in its beauty, and packed with statues and sumptuous works of art. Even the toilets are worthy of high praise!
The atmosphere, however, is surprisingly relaxed, and all of the security guards we came across were friendly and helpful. At a certain point, photos are no longer allowed (in the circular hall where you see MPs being interviewed on TV, for example). As we waited in the corridor outside Committee Room 10, we spotted Ken Clarke ambling along, deep in thought, and took the chance to thank him for all of his hard work.
Soon, we entered the room, which quickly became packed with campaigners from all over the UK (and Spain!) – all of them focused on stopping Brexit. The host told us that we’d been invited because we were the people who actually put our foot down and said ‘No!’ to Brexit. The session aimed to thank us for our work whilst promoting the People’s Vote campaign to give the British public a say on the negotiated Brexit deal. It included a Q&A session with MPs Caroline Lucas, Tom Brake, and Chuka Umunna (Anna Soubry sent her apologies as she was unable to attend at the last minute).
The MPs were frank and generous in their replies – there was no political rhetoric to be seen. The general message was that gaining a people’s vote is now the best way forward to stop Brexit. Even though referenda can be flawed, the people started this process and must finish it – with a final say on the Brexit deal.
The challenges ahead were not understated: The need to convince Leavers that they should be able to change their minds and that Brexit will not improve their lives. The need to take the campaign out into the community.
All in all, the session was productive, energising, and another reminder that the #StopBrexit campaign belongs to all of us. Now is the time to act and truly own that campaign.”
Bremain in Spain’s Chair, Sue Wilson, recently attended the People’s Vote March, along with Bremain Council members Elspeth Williams and Sue Scarrott.
Sue used it as an opportunity to set up meetings with some of our partners and friends and here is her daily journal:
Fri 22nd June
I started my day in Westminster having lunch with Peter French, director of Reuniting Britain. Peter & I have become close friends over the last 2 years, & he has invited me to speak at 3 marches over that time – in London, Manchester & Leeds. Peter has now asked me to speak at his next big event on 20th October 2018 & gave me an update on how his plans for the event are developing. Although October sounds like a long way off, at the time of writing, it’s actually only 17 weeks away, so the plans are already well developed.
Most of the action is under wraps, but I can tell you that this event will be much more than a march & a rally. In fact it will be a whole day of events, starting with a pan European/British village of stalls, with food from all over Europe, starting at 10.00 a.m. The rally, with an incredible list of speakers will be from 12.00 until 2.00, followed by a march on parliament in Westminster. The rest of the afternoon will be full of surprises – a visual extravaganza, the like of which you will never have seen before.
I urge you now, book your flight & make it a firm date in your diary. This will be the last big event before parliament votes on the deal. It’s going to be big, it’s going to be expensive & it’s going to be amazing. I’m going to be there, along with the Bremain council – I hope you will be too!
In the afternoon, I visited the SODEM protest outside parliament to support Steven Bray in his daily protest. It is always encouraging to hear support from passing pedestrians, cyclists & drivers, whether it’s a cheer, a toot or a “Stop Brexit” shout, though Steve’s oft-heard chant would be hard to beat. The House of Commons was taking a day off today, so we didn’t have any politicians visit us. However, Steve is quite the celebrity in parliament now with members of both Houses regularly popping over to say hi & show their support. His dulcet tones are often heard above the debates inside too!
Saturday 23rd June
I had been looking forward to this day for weeks, & the #PeoplesVote march did not disappoint! It was wonderful to be joined by Bremain Council Members Susan Scarrott & Elspeth Williams, & we had new Bremain flags & stickers made especially for the occasion, featuring our new slogan “Brexit is Bonkers”.
The turnout for the march was fantastic, with over 150,000 taking part. It was the biggest march that I had ever attended, proving categorically that Remainers have yet to “get over it” & that we are not giving up the fight anytime soon.
There were some excellent, passionate speeches, most especially from Caroline Lucas, Tony Robinson, David Lammy & Anna Soubry. Unfortunately, due to the size of the crowd, we did not make it to the rally venue in time to catch the start, so we missed Gina Miller’s speech.
It was a pleasure to march with so many fellow Bremain in Spain members, who had travelled from all over Spain, but also from Italy, France, Germany & Portugal. It was also clear from the comments & thanks that we received on the day that our reach extends well beyond Spain, even beyond Continental Europe to the UK. It was also a privilege to march with other groups from Europe, such as Brexpats-HOV, RIFT & British in Europe, & with EU citizens groups In Limbo, the 3Million & Españoles en Reino Unido.
For further information about the march & to view our photo gallery, here’s the link to our #PeoplesVoteMarch special on our website:
To sign the People’s Vote Petition, please click here: People’s Vote Petition
Can’t wait for the next one now! With what is being planned, it’s going to be even bigger than this one. Get the date in your diary now – Saturday October 20th in London is not to be missed!
Monday 25th June
My second trip to London was to attend meetings with Best for Britain’s CEO Eloise Todd & Tom Brufatto, Chair of Britain for Europe.
Eloise & I discussed how we can work more closely together & brought me up to date with their latest campaign plans. They are targeting specific constituencies & I’ll be checking with our own lobby group whether any of our devoted lobbyists happen to hail from those particular constituencies. Eloise is also going to provide me with a copy of their new manifesto. Eloise has kindly agreed to feature in our July newsletter, so I will be asking Bremain members to submit questions shortly.
On my way to my next meeting, I dropped in to SODEM to say hello to Steven Bray. While we were chatting, he spotted a film crew on the green, so we wandered over to see who the interviewer & interviewee were. It turned out to be Faisal Islam of Sky News interviewing MP Greg Hands, who had just resigned over Heathrow’s 3rd runway proposal. I managed to film part of the interview, while Steve flag-bombed them live on Sky News. I hung around in the hope of a selfie (with Faisal, not the Tory MP, I hasten to add!), & was rewarded, not only with a selfie, but with a chat about Brits in EU. He seemed genuinely interested, said this was a subject that was not going away, asked for my card & said he would be in touch. Steve even managed to film most of the conversation. When I later bumped into Faisal again in the café where I had lunch, I was starting to worry that he would think I was a stalker! What an unexpected pleasure & what a nice guy.
My meeting with Tom Brufatto was at the #PeoplesVote Campaign headquarters in Millbank Tower – an office suite shared by all the groups collaborating on the campaign, such as European Movement, Open Britain, Scientist for EU & OFOC! They are currently taking stock after the hugely successful march, & their petition, which was only launched on the day of the march already has over 165,000 signatures. After the success of the march, & the widely reported chants of “where’s Jeremy Corbyn?”, Labour are now under enormous pressure to come out in support of the campaign for a #PeoplesVote. We are all watching closely to see what they will do next. The focus over the next few weeks will be at local level, so taking the fight back to grass-roots. I am going to get more personally involved over coming weeks too – more news on this soon.
Tuesday 26th June
Making the most of the heatwave, I met with Elena Remigi of In Limbo, at a pub on the river in Cookham, in Theresa May’s constituency. The 2nd book in the series, In Limbo Too, was released on Saturday & is the testimonies of Brits living in the EU, many of them from Bremain members. My own testimony is also in the book, in the final chapter entitled “Hope”. Now the book has been published, Elena is busy raising funds to print copies for distribution to politicians. If this 2nd book is anything like as influential as the first, which contained EU citizens testimonials, then our voices may finally be listened to.
A special thank you to Elena who presented me with copies of both books, including a lovely dedication to Bremain members – I will cherish it.
Suppose for a moment you buy airline tickets to a holiday destination. It might not be where you want to go but, hey, the kids want it. Suppose that circumstances change, an illness, a cancellation or a delay. You call the airline. They flat out refuse to accommodate. Best they can do is change the date.
How would that make you feel?
In the real world, this is happening on a much larger scale. Are you happy with the way Brexit negotiations are going, and don’t you want to have a say?
That’s what a ‘People’s Vote’ is all about – you having your say. In 2016, the British public voted to leave the European Union by 52 to 48 percent. They made a binary choice to leave, or to remain, within the European Union. Since that time, consequences have been felt and predictions indulged.
But no one knows what will happen next. What we know is that the UK Government and the Official Opposition refuse to let the British public have a say on any proposed ‘final’ deal between Britain and the European Union.
And ‘finality’ is key. Referendums may be about binary choices, but they must be followed-up with honest reflection. Circumstances change, precisely why they’re not legally binding in the United Kingdom. It is a misnomer to say that the British public has lost their right to change their minds. They haven’t, but the politicians need to be reminded.
If democracy was respected in 2016, it should be respected again in 2018. Bremain in Spain, campaign groups and a plethora of cross-party support up and down the country are demanding that voters be allowed to give their verdict on any deal put forward by the UK Government on how to work with Europe.
Since 2016 politicians have been hammering out negotiations with no clear trajectory. Compromises will be reached. Concessions will be made. No singular soul or party or household will agree with everything.
A people’s vote isn’t about re-running old debates. It’s not about ‘Brexiteering’ or ‘Remoaning’. A people’s vote is about enshrining the biggest, constitutional shake-up in modern times with the faith of the people.
If Brexit began with a people’s vote, it should end with a people’s vote too.
Alastair Stewart, Deputy Bremain Press Officer
Bremain in Spain members from across Spain and beyond today joined the march for a People’s Vote.
We are one step nearer winning the return of our RIGHT TO VOTE.
Friday February 23rd 2018…. 21 years after the start of the campaign…. The House of Commons agreed to send on its way a Private Members Bill, moved by Glyn Davies MP.
The Bill would give us back our right to vote. But this is not the end of the road, not yet; there will still be hurdles on the way.
So whilst a gallant band of MPs are battling for us in Parliament we can help them……
A short note to the MP in your last Constituency asking him/her to support Glyn Davies’ Bill and reminding your MP that your family, in his Constituency, hopes he will support the Bill.
We have come this far because of the support and activity of Ex-Pats everywhere the call now is WRITE A NOTE TO YOUR MP
Our MP supporters in the House….
…. a real Role of Honour
If you don’t know who your MP is, then a note to Glyn Davies MP telling him you support his Bill.
If this is the final assault, then let’s all get involved….
As the Leader of Votes for Women said many years ago
WE SHALL WIN BECAUSE WE ARE RIGHT
To find out more details on Bremain’s Votes for Life Campaign you can link to the page by clicking the image below.
Update June 26 2018 – here’s the link to a Bloomberg article about Harry’s case:
Update July 04 2018 – here’s the link to a Guardian article about the case due to be heard tomorrow:
